


The Blind Wall

by Prince_Darkcloud, UnshadowedHeart



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Gen, Raywood, Slavery, Torture, Witch!Lindsay, all ships are fairly minor but they def still exist, centaur!jack, dragon!Michael, faerie!geoff, familiar!ray, human!Gavin, i could almost tag it as, shifter!griffon, they're not a couple but there are moments that are hella gay, wizard!ryan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-06
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-02-28 13:13:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 63,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2733899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prince_Darkcloud/pseuds/Prince_Darkcloud, https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnshadowedHeart/pseuds/UnshadowedHeart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In effort to save their dying world, the humans have enslaved beings of magic, draining them of their power. Only a few are lucky enough to escape, even fewer find such faithful friends who would lay down their lives for one another.</p><p>Meanwhile, young Gavin decides to set out to see the world, to make his father, the director, proud and to better the lives of humans everywhere. Little did he know how ugly it was on the other side of the wall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jailbird

Gavin peeked out of his bedroom, eyes wide as men with guns and specialty armor ran through the halls. He didn't really understand what was going on, but the small child understood well enough that when the big men were running around, he was to stay in his room.

As usual, behind the armored men there were the people with sacks tied over their heads, forced to walk in unison or being individually dragged when they resisted. It was several moments as the shifty men thinned out and the halls went quiet, until the sound of bare feet slapping the floor echoed and a boy not much older than Gavin came down, darting around. He saw the partially open door and shoved it open, pushing Gavin out of the way. He closed the door behind him, back to knob, and put a finger to his lips when he made eye contact.

Gavin shrunk back when a boy about 10 years older than he shoved his way into his room. His opened and closed his mouth as he tried to speak. "Y–What're you doing in my room!" He hurried to the door, opening it to call out to the guards, but for some reason he couldn't open the door. He looked back at the boy, terrified. He wore one of the funny looking collars with the number tag dangling from it. Something his parents had always told him was to avoid anyone with a collar that wasn't on a leash.

"Shh!" The boy tried to hush Gavin. "I just need to stay here for a couple minutes." He covered his mouth, barely breathing, as the guards shouting and stomping outside passed by. "Me and the guards are playing hide and seek." A pretty morbid game of hide and seek.

Gavin was a bit skeptic, but he did love hide and seek. He pulled Ryan's hand from his mouth before pulling him to a better hiding spot. "If you're in here, I'll get in trouble so I'll hide too." Gavin whispered, shooshing the weird teen.

"Yeah, where's the best place to hide?" the boy asked, leering at the door. Gavin had quite the set up in here, far better than any of the other rooms he'd looked in.

Gavin opened his toy chest and climbed inside. "You hide under the bed, its too small in here." Gavin's bed was large and plush. One look and you could tell the boy was a commander's brat.

The young fugitive curled under the large bed, just in time to hear the guards banging on the door. They opened the door and called out for Gavin, and once there was no answer they looked into the attached bathroom before closing the door upon their exit.

Gavin popped back out before crawling over to the bed and wriggling underneath it. "So, what's your name? How come you're playing hide and seek with the big men?"

"I'm Ryan." He had to wiggle out from under the bed on his stomach, hand smoothing over his ruffled hair. "I'm playing hide and seek to..." The poor kid probably had no idea what really went on in the base. "Because they promised that if they couldn't find me I could go home."

"This is home. Lots of people live here." Gavin gave the boy an incredulous look, wondering how something so obvious wasn't apparent to someone who was so much older than he.

"This isn't my home." Ryan made a face, scrunching up his nose. "My home is far away from here." He had to think of a child friendly way to explain being violently uprooted from his home. "I'm just visiting, and I need to prove to them I'm strong enough to go home."

"What’s wrong with here being your home? It's nice here." Ignorance was bliss. It was rather a miracle that Gavin knew next to nothing about the organization he was surrounded by. He puffed out his cheeks before going to his bedside table and gabbing a book and holding it out to Ryan. "My Daddy said it’s almost my bedtime, but he's too busy to read to me."

Ryan looked at the book cover and flipped into the pages. Folk tales. He smiled wide. "Any particular story you want, or do I get to choose?" He sat at the edge of the bed, thumbing through pages.

"Hansel and Gretel." Gavin replied, getting comfortable in his bed as he waited for the story to commence.

Ryan grinned and flipped through the pages until he found the chosen story. He wiggled his fingers over the pictures, until they started to come to life. "Once upon a time there was a brother and a sister..."

Gavin watched with wide eyes as his book literally came to life. Brought a whole new meaning to the concept of a pop-up book. The boy watched with rapt attention as a little boy and girl darted across the pages of the book as Ryan's voice provided a soothing narrative.

Ryan finished up the story, the little characters folding back down onto the pages, with a final, "And they lived happily every after." He closed the book and set it aside. "You all good to head to sleep?" He wouldn't be able to sneak out quite yet, but perhaps he would stick around for a bit just to make sure the kid knew he had company. He seemed like a lonely kid.

Gavin rubbed his eyes, yawning wide. "No, I'm not tired yet. Read me another story." He leaned against the older boy, pulling the blanket up so it covered his shoulders and part of Ryan's lap. His head bobbed a bit, but he was insistent on staying awake.

Ryan couldn't help but pull his lips wide in a cat-like smile. "Alright, alright, but I'm choosing." He popped open the book and leafed through it. "Here it is, this one is my favorite." He wiggled his fingers and the characters came to life once more, the ink dancing on the page. "Once upon a time there was a little girl in a red hood..."

Gavin was transfixed by Ryan's magic, but after Ryan had barely begun to tell the story, he found himself conked out, strewn across Ryan's lap. The boy's breathing was gentle, the lean frame rising and falling with each breath. He clung to Ryan like a giant teddy bear.

Ryan couldn't very well disturb the poor kid when he looked that cute. Instead, Ryan quietly concluded the story and set the book away, curling protectively around Gavin as he too drifted off to sleep.

Gavin woke up bright and early as usual, finding that his new friend was dead asleep beside him. He bounded atop the boy, effectively waking him. "I'm hungry!" He announced, as if Ryan was supposed to do something about it.

Ryan grunted and popped up, rubbing at his eyes as he looked around nervously. "What do you even eat?" he asked, looking uncomfortable as he realized Gavin had essentially claimed him as a caretaker. "I'm still playing hide and seek with the guards."

"Who plays hide and seek while they're sleeping, you weirdo!" Gavin pulled a face before snickering a bit. "Come on! Let's go eat! I'm starving!" He rubbed his stomach to accentuate his point.

Ryan didn't say no. He _could_ use a meal, and he'd rather risk himself getting a high class one that Gavin would surely be eating, rather than the pig slop they fed the prisoners. "Alright, let's go get some food. You lead the way."

Gavin nodded before hopping on Ryan's back. "I'll guide you!" He swung his feet, pointing towards the door. "That way! Then towards the picture of the angry lady hanging on the wall."

Ryan followed Gavin's instructions carefully, meanwhile sneaking past guards. It wasn't hard; most of them were either still asleep or too tired to notice.

Gavin didn't understand why Ryan was moving so slowly, or why he felt the need to peek around every corner. Maybe he was still playing hide and seek. The boy wasn't going to question the odd behavior, though he wasn't going to wait for Ryan and his sneaky sneaking. He slipped down off Ryan's back and ran down towards the food.

Ryan was insulted that Gavin would pop off on his own. He slipped by the guards and followed Gavin quickly, but quietly. "So where's the food?" he asked, his stomach growling. He was ready to eat a horse.

Gavin headed to the canteen, pushing open the door. There was a smattering of people inside, eating their morning meal in preparation for the day. They nodded in greeting towards the boy, most of them familiar with who he was.

Ryan slunk around the sides of the room, not letting anyone see him. He waved Gavin over, trying to stay invisible. "Can you get me some food? I'm...shy." That worked.

Gavin nodded, going to the line and grabbing a tray. He stacked his plate high with french toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and a couple doughnuts. He grabbed a couple cartons of milk, struggling to hold it all. He got a few confused looks from the adults. one of them approaching him to ask him why he had so much food, to which the boy responded, "My friend is hungry. He's shy though so you can't see him." The adults smiled, assuming the boy was referring to an imaginary friend and waved him along.

Ryan was drooling when Gavin came around with food. He looked around. It seemed like no one paid attention to anyone who was lower than the table. He picked some food off Gavin's tray and groaned. That was one of the best things he'd ever tasted, and the meal had barely started. "You get to eat this every day?"

Gavin nodded, watching as Ryan picked off his plate. "Yeah? Why? Don't you?" Was there different food elsewhere? Was there another cafeteria he didn't know about? Gavin wondered what kind of food they served there, and if it was any good.

"No, we get different food." Obviously they were the old leftovers from the day or even the week before. The bread was always stale and it looked like someone had been gnawing on his fruits. He wondered if they fed the dogs better than they fed the prisoners.

Gavin didn't want much, letting Ryan have most of the breakfast. He sipped on his chocolate milk as he waited for the boy to finish his meal. "Wanna come play with me when you're done?" There weren't many kids around for Gavin to play with. The idea of a playmate was incredibly exciting.

Ryan nodded, gorging himself on what was left. "Let's get out of here." Too many people for his taste, too many people that always assumed the worst in him. "What do you want to play?" He needed to start thinking of an exit strategy, but all the guards were still on alert for him.

Gavin shrugged, picking up his dishes and putting them on the tray cart as he'd been instructed to time and time again. "Oh! We can play cops and robbers! I'll be the good guy and you can be the bad guy! "

"Why do I have to be the bad guy?" Of course, that was really the only fuss he would put up. Ryan wondered if he could use a little magic here and there to help him along. It wasn't playing dirty if Gavin had no idea it was him.

"Cause I picked the game." Duh, wasn't it obvious? Gavin gave Ryan an incredulous look. "Come on! Let's go outside! I wanna play outside!" He grabbed Ryan's hand and tugged him out of the canteen. Unfortunately, the teen didn't go completely unnoticed.

Ryan tried to stay close, glancing around with every corner they turned. If Gavin got him caught he wasn't sure what he'd do. It had already taken so much effort to escape before. "We're going to a safe spot, right?"

Gavin looked up at Ryan, confused. "What do you mean? We aren't safe right now?" He looked around nervously. Had some of the dangerous people he'd heard about escaped? Were they coming after little boys with intent to do harm?

"I mean do people come around here very often? This spot you want to play in." Ryan didn't mean to make the poor boy worry. "If you don't play in safe spots monsters will come eat you." So much for that plan.

A shriek got caught in Gavin's throat. He swallowed, looking around. The boy was very impressionable. His gullibility would be almost slightly pathetic if he hadn't been so young. "Wh-Wha…I…I think its safe? I've never been nibbled, so…"

"As long as it's somewhere private you won't get eaten." Privacy was what mattered. Ryan didn't want to sound like a creep, but he also didn't want to get caught, either. He conjured up a shadow, completely harmless but scary looking. "Look! There's one right there!"

Gavin screamed and started crying. Four year olds didn't do too well with spooks. He turned and ran in the opposite direction, tripping and falling on the floor and hitting hard. There was a brief moment of silence before he started wailing again, looking around for someone to tend to him and his bleeding nose.

Ryan couldn't help but laugh, until he saw Gavin's nose and trotted up to him, sitting him up and holding his sleeve to the bleeding appendage. "Hey, it's okay, you baby. Tilt your head back. Wipe up and hold your nose."

Gavin frowned, pouting a bit. He made a face when he could feel a trickle of blood go down the back of his throat. "You're a pleb." He muttered as he took hold of his nose.

"Just hold your nose back until the bleeding stops, you're gonna be fine," Ryan snorted, crinkling up his nose. "Who woulda thought you were actually a giant baby."

“I’m not!” Gavin steeled himself, not letting any more tears fall, “I was just spooked.” The four year old puffed himself up, sucking in his bottom lip as he got up and marched himself down the hall, wanting to reclaim a bit of his dignity.

"Just hold your nose back until the bleeding stops, you're gonna be fine," Ryan snorted, crinkling up his nose. "Who woulda thought you were actually a giant baby."

“I’m not!” Gavin steeled himself, not letting any more tears fall, “I was just spooked.”

"There you go." Ryan smirked and patted Gavin's cheek. "You buck up." He helped Gavin to his feet. "You still wanna play?"

The four year old puffed himself up, sucking in his bottom lip as he got up and marched himself down the hall, wanting to reclaim a bit of his dignity. He nodded before leading Ryan to the courtyard. It probably wasn't the best place for an escaped prisoner to play, but if Ryan timed it right, he could probably escape. Gavin, on other hand, was perfectly content to shoot with his finger gun and chase around the bushes and trees after the older boy.

Ryan scoped out his surroundings, before he eased into the role of the robber. "Bang!" he laughed, making a little pocket of air shoot past Gavin's head. He was having too much fun with his abilities; Gavin was too cute to mess around with.

Gavin darted around a tree, popping out with his guns a-blazing. "Bang, bang, bang! I got you, Ryan. You're coming to jail!" He grabbed Ryan by the shirt and dragged him to the bushes where they had designated as 'jail'. Gavin then began his patrol, marching back and forth in front of his prisoner.

Ryan laughed and made a zipping motion across his mouth. "I'll never tell you a thing, copper!"

"You have to tell me, or you'll be in jail for infinity! Tell me why you stole the Queen's jewels, and I'll let you go in half of infinity." A fair trade, it seemed.

"I demand a quarter of infinity!" Ryan shouted over his shoulder, trying to stifle his laughter. "You'll never know where they are! I'm not a squealer!"

"I have ways of making you talk!" Gavin made sound effects as he opened the jail door and closed it behind him. He raised his hands, threatening an impending tickle session. "You have one last chance before I tickle you…to death!"

"Show me your worst! I refuse to crack under pressure!" Ryan snorted as he was threatened, refusing to show his captor fear. "You'll never know!" He heard shouting in the distance and wondered if they were still safe.

Gavin pounced, viciously tickling under Ryan's arms, across his stomach, his neck, literally everywhere he could think of that might be ticklish. "You gotta tell!"

"Never! I'll never tell!" Ryan howled, snorting and giggling under Gavin's assault. "Sneak attack! Sneak attack!" he cried, trying to strike back and go for Gavin's sides. He happened to turn his head just in time to see the guards barreling forward toward them. He jumped up, eyes going wide. "Gavin, I need to leave..." He turned and ran, running for the walls. If he could get over those then he would be free.

Gavin fell to the ground with a huff. He looked up, confused as the men ran past, chasing after his new friend. "H-Hey!" He was ignored, and Ryan was grabbed onto and forced to the ground. There was a brief debate as they located the tattoo that indicated the boy's class. A standard issue collar was snapped around his neck, canceling out the boy's magic. Gavin watched with horror as Ryan was dragged off.

Ryan didn't fight it, his only method of rebellion dragging his feet. That stopped real quick when the guards yanked him up. He turned his head, looking at Gavin over his shoulders and mouthed a "sorry" to him, barely managing to wave a few fingers at him.

The rest of the day, Gavin was in a mope. He didn't understand what had happened or why. He tried to ask a couple of the adults where his friend had gone, but no one would oblige him.

Finally a guard decided to take pity on Gavin and bring him down below the living quarters to the impound. He passed rows and rows of caged people, until the guard stopped him in front of Ryan's cell. "There he is, the escaped one."

"Ryan!" Gavin cried excitedly. He looked around at all the cells and chains and collars, all the forlorn, hungry, tired people. "You know, I didn't mean it when I said you had to go to jail for infinity! You can come out now! I want you to read me my bedtime story!"

Ryan leered up at the guard watching them. "It's not because of you, Gav. I'm in here because of different things." He crossed his arms, tugging at the tight collar around his neck. "I don't think I can read to you anymore."

Gavin's brow furrowed, "But you tell the best stories. Pleeeeeeease, Ryan?" Gavin looked up at the guards, bouncing on his feet a bit. "Pretty pleeeeeeease?"

"You're going to have to ask them, not me." Ryan pointed up at the guards, glaring at them. He would love to just slip right out between those bars and escape, this time without dallying around, but that chance was long gone.

Gavin pleaded to the guards, begging them to let Ryan read him a bedtime story and put him to bed. No one made stories come to life like Ryan had, literally.

The guards made faces at one another, before they finally agreed. "We'll bring him by your room later tonight, before bedtime, but he will have to be monitored." And he certainly wouldn't be allowed to use magic.

Gavin grinned, happy to have gotten his way. "I'll see you later Ryan!" He was sad he didn't have a playmate, but someone to read him bedtime stories was a step up from the usual. He had to admit though, the people in these rooms…they all looked so sad, some of them looking at the young boy angrily.

Ryan waved Gavin off, slumping back against the wall. There was no going back for him, if he had any say in the matter. He was going escape that night.

Gavin patiently waited for Ryan to show up, sitting in his bed with the book of Grimm's fairly tales in his lap. He was flipping through, looking at the pictures as he picked out a story for Ryan to read to him that night.

Ryan wasn't delivered for several hours, the knock coming and then the door swinging open. Ryan was waltzed in, hands cuffed behind him, chains leading to the magic canceling collar held by two guards, and a muzzle over his face.

Gavin was a little afraid of the figure that stood in the doorway. Ryan's eyes no longer shone. His face was sullen, a tinge of anger in his posture. "Um…Ryan?"

"Hey, kid." Ryan looked at the guards. "Sorry you had to see this." His words were mostly muffled, until one of the guards removed the muzzle and he was uncuffed. They held tight to the chains, refusing to let him out of their sight.

"Why are you all tied up, Ryan?" Gavin frowned, setting the book aside.

"Don't worry, Gavin, we'll explain it all to you tomorrow." One of the guards explained, giving the boy a reassuring smile. They couldn't have the boy thinking the guards were bad people. Who knew what sort of things the magic boy was feeding the son of the director.

Ryan waited for the guards to detach the chains from the collar. They left the collar on, much to his discomfort, and he slowly moved to sit on the bed with Gavin. "Hey, what story did you want me to read for you?"

"The one you started last time, cause I think I fell asleep." Gavin snuggled into bed, waiting for Ryan's magic story to begin. It was weird having the guards standing there, but at lease he'd gotten what he wanted.

Ryan took the book and settled next to Gavin, flipping through the pages. He didn't do his magic this time, how could he? He began the story, "Once upon a time there was a girl in a red hood..."

"Ryan," Gavin interrupted, "they're not popping up! Make them pop up!" He ran his hand over the images. He wanted to be transfixed as the story danced across the pages.

"I can't," Ryan said, pointing at the collar. "Unless these nice gents wanna come over and set me free, I can't do magic."

"We're sorry, Gavin. It's too dangerous. We can't trust him not to hurt anyone. You're lucky we could get him to read you your story."

Gavin sighed, trying to enjoy the story even without the magic. It wasn't as exciting, and Ryan's voice lacked a lot of the enthusiasm he had the night before. It wasn't at all the same.

Ryan was too busy glaring at the guards to enjoy the story. He droned on, wondering when he would be done. It would just be better if he stayed in his cell, it seemed. When he finished he closed the book and set it down on the table. "I have to go now, Gav. Sorry I couldn't make it nice like before."

Gavin didn't look at Ryan and instead rolled over and put himself to bed. It was selfish of the child, but he was still too young to fully understand the extent of what was going on. He listened as Ryan was chained back up and taken from his room, a heavy sigh leaving him.

Ryan looked over his shoulder as they forced the muzzle on him again. No point in fighting it. It felt like Gavin didn't want him around anymore if he couldn't do his magic. That was just fine with him, though it left a slight ache in his chest. He shook that feeling off The kid was probably going to grow up to be a bigot anyhow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of Ryan's birthday, we are posting this today (even tho its not quite finished shh). nothing says happy birthday like being enslaved.


	2. Meet the Crew

Gavin plodded along the seemingly never ending road. He'd barely been outside the compound growing up. Whenever he had gone anywhere, it was mostly to go to another outpost somewhere.

These facilities were the sources for the power that kept the world functioning, the immediate surrounding area was lush and green. The further out one went, the more desolate, the more dead the terrain became. Gavin took a swig of water from his thermos, blinking blearily into the distance.

Not too far off, a figure was walking the same path as Gavin. Every now and then the figure would dart off the side of the road, and then return, as if they were looking for something. Gavin went completely unnoticed.

Gavin blinked again, unable to believe that someone might be out here after all. He straightened up a bit. "Ooooy!" He waved his arm about, trying to get this other person's attention. Maybe they knew where this place was.

The figure glanced behind them and froze up, but didn't run. As Gavin approached it was clear it was an adult man, still young, wearing spectacles. He was dressed in some ill fitting clothing, but he didn't seem perturbed by it in the slightest.

"Aw, dude, I didn't think I'd see anyone for days yet. I've sort of run low on food, do you know how far it is to the next town?" He held a hand above his eyes as he tried to see the man more clearly. "What're you doing out here?"

"You're not going to find anyone for a while." The young man shifted, nervous around Gavin, like he were trying to stay out of his way; or his sight, whichever. "I'm looking for someone. We got separated. What are you doing out here?"

"Oh you know, grand adventure and all that. Been cooped up all my life so why not give it a go?" He shrugged, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair as he looked up at the sky for a moment. "I'm Gavin, by the way. What's your name?"

"Ray. Nice to meet you." Ray was slinking along the edge of the road, watching on all sides. "I'm in the middle of trying to find my way back to my master. We got separated."

"Your master…?" Was that some sort of sex thing? Gavin looked over Ray again, noticing this time that he had the collar of a familiar on his neck, mostly hidden beneath his clothes. From what Gavin knew, the collar, once placed, could change size and shape, but never break or be removed by anyone other than the familiar's master. Or so it was theorized. "You're a familiar?"

"I prefer the title long term companion." Very long term. Ray tugged his shirt up, trying to hide the collar. "You're one of those guards. You're not going to turn me in, are you?" All he wanted was to get home before everyone started wondering where he was.

"So…you're his lover?" Gavin let it buffer for a moment before letting it drop from his mind. "And I mean, I grew up there, yeah, but that doesn't make me who you think I am." Gavin really should've rethought the gear he was wearing. But everything he'd taken was top notch and would help him defend against anything that crossed his path.

"I'm a lot of things, but I'm not that guy's butt buddy." Ray held up his hands, as if to aid in his own defense. "If you're not a guard...or scout, whatever, out on some raid to pick up magical beings like me, what are you doing all the way outside the compounds? Sounds fishy."

"Look, you spend 25 years on the same damn place, I think you'd want to get out too." Gavin gestured to himself, "Besides, look at me! Do I really look like I'm fit to take on a bunch of monsters?" Perhaps monsters wasn't the best word to use, but it was already out of his mouth.

Ray stared at Gavin like he had grown an extra head. "What monsters? I've been around here for years. Unless you mean people like me." He raised a charcoal eyebrow and scrutinized Gavin, nose crinkled.

"Well, I don't know. I've heard of a familiar turning into dangerous creature and just…bloody ripped some guy's head off. So," Gavin squinted a bit, "I trust you about as much as you trust me, apparently. But I'm willing to get along. Help me out, and I'll help you find your master."

"You wanna know what kind of terrifying creature I can turn into, buddy?" Ray didn't even wait for Gavin to answer, instead disappearing almost immediately. That was, until it was very apparent that he had shrunk. And become a cat. He meowed loudly, weaving between Gavin's legs. The only danger was tripping over him.

"Ohhh, kitty!" Gavin was delighted; he absolutely loved cats. Without thinking he picked Ray up and started scratching him behind his ears. Suddenly, he trusted Ray a hell of a lot more. "You're alright in my books, Ray."

Ray hissed and scrambled to get out of Gavin's grip, shifting into an owl and shrieking as he hovered. He slowly returned to his human form, face red. "I'm not a 'pick me up cat' I'm a ‘I’ll tear your fucking face off if you try that shit again cat.' Got it?"

Gavin was suddenly incredibly sheepish. "Sorry, I just really like cats and I haven't been allowed to have one since I was a lad." He shifted the pack on his back, looking anywhere but at Ray. "So…truce?"

Ray looked him over and then stuck out his hand. "Truce." When they shook he pulled back and looked ahead on the road. It would get more desolate before it got greener, but that was just where he needed to be. "So what _are_ you doing out here?"

"I want to see the world." Mostly because he was bored of the day-to-day life in the compound. Also, the responsibilities were piling up and he wasn't meeting his father's standards. Neither had his younger brother or sister, but they weren't meant to inherit the compound.

"Well, this is it. There's not much to see." Ray panned out to desolate forestry. "There's really not much other than this, no matter where you go. There's other compounds, but that's it."

"Well, don't know till we look right?" Gavin started walking again after taking a sip of his water. No use standing in the hot sun talking when they could walk and talk. Maybe find some shade.

"The guy I'm looking for is around here somewhere. If you help me find him, I can at least get him to give you some provisions and directions to the next town over." Ray followed the road, glancing off in other directions. "But it's invisible."

"Don't familiars and people of magic share a bond? Like, you can communicate in special ways?" Gavin cocked an eyebrow, "And if he was around here, couldn't he have seen you?"

"It's not _that_ complicated," Ray said, shrugging off Gavin's comments. "He went ahead of me. I told him I'd meet up with him later. And he got too far, so now I'm trying to get back to him. Our bond really doesn't cover more than about 500 feet."

Gavin gave Ray a mixed look of disbelief and pity. How could someone get lost when there were miles of visible distance surrounding them. All this magic man would have to do is poke his head out. "Well, we'll find it sooner or lat—OH!" Gavin stopped dead in his tracks, his head making a loud bang as it connected with something he couldn't see.

"Hey, look, I think you found something invisible." Ray couldn't help but grin and knock on the invisible item. "Yup, this is it!" He felt around, until he seemed to find a doorknob, and opened it up. "Hello?"

There was no one inside. In fact, the inside was barren. No books, no potions, no bottles of ingredients, no clothes strewn about the floor, no forgotten food on the stove. Even the bed was gone.

Gavin looked around the place, brow furrowing. "These are…some pretty uh, bare bones accommodations you got here, Ray."

"It normally looks a lot more welcoming than this, I swear." Ray sighed and rustled around, looking for a note of some sort. They wouldn't just leave him behind, would they? It was rather distressing, but he didn't let it show.

"Maybe there was an emergency? Maybe he went looking for you?" Gavin watched as the familiar sniffed about for any sort clue as to where his master was. "I'll keep my end of the bargain and help you find him."

"I doubt he'd leave if he knew I was coming. There had to be extenuating circumstances." Ray pursed his lips, brow furrowed as he continued to search for some sign that he hadn't been forgotten.

"Maybe there's a magic message somewhere?" Gavin poked around uselessly, not seeing anything helpful. "Maybe we should move on, try and find him the conventional way. Maybe he's gone to town. People will have seen him, you know."

"You don't know this guy, he's like a ghost. Moves in and out... He's seen the inside of compounds. He wouldn't take that kind of chance." Ray was becoming anxious, peeking outside once more, in case there was anyone looking for him.

"Don't worry, Ray, we'll find him." Gavin tried to comfort the stranger as best he could, but he was beginning to wonder if this guy would be more of a burden than a help.

Off in the distance, another larger figure approached, trotting along. It paused, looked around for a moment before heading towards the invisible shack, like it knew where it was going.

"I'm less worried about us finding him, I'm more worried about whether I should be worried about getting left behind or not." Ray knew there _had_ to be a message here somewhere. He froze and whipped around. "Hello?"

"Ray?" The door swung open and four, long horse legs stood at the door. The hooves took a couple steps back and the torso of a man leaned down into view, followed by a bearded face. "There you are. I was afraid I wouldn't find you."

"Jack," Ray looked significantly relieved. "I was wondering where you were, and where everyone else is. What happened? Did his royal majesty decide to finally pack it up and leave? _Without_ me?"

"It's…kind of a long story. I'll explain it on the way." Jack's eyes went to the boy he'd never seen before, decked out in gear specific to the compound guards. "Who _the_ _fuck_ are you?" Jack reared back, pulling out his bow. "What do you want with us?"

"Woah, woah!" Gavin stumbled back and fell on his ass. "I'm harmless I swear!"

"He wants directions to the nearest town. He came from the nearby compound," Ray filled in, trying to shoulder himself in front of Gavin without seeming suspicious. "He's cool."

Jack clearly didn't like it, but he put his weapon away. "Hop on Ray, we've got a ways to go. I can explain things on the way." The drape that covered Jack's horse half fluttered in the dry breeze as he turned away. "We need to get moving."

Ray shrunk down, a cat once more and curled up on the junction between Jack's horse half and his human torso to save space and energy for the centaur. He looked at Gavin, as if waiting for him to follow. Perhaps not on Jack's back quite yet, but certainly by their side.

Gavin tentatively followed behind Jack, afraid to stand too close in case Jack thought he deserved a kick. He listened silently as Jack explained the situation to Ray.

"We didn't wanna leave you behind, man, but we had no choice. All of us scattered. Aside from you and your master I have no idea where anyone else is. It's going to be a nightmare trying to track them down."

"Well, Michael really shouldn't be that hard to find," Ray meowed. "How hard is it to find a dragon that's constantly coughing up smoke?" Every time Michael denied it they would just tell him to wait five minutes before he hiccuped again, and more smoke filled the room.

"Yeah, well, it's a big world, kid. You think a compound would let a dragon out of their sights? Not a chance. He'd be luckier than hell if he escaped." Jack thought back to the night of the ambush, of his shameful running away.

"I'm sure he's fine. He's got a temper on him, but he's not stupid." Ray pawed at Jack's back. "Where's Ryan?"

"Ow! Watch the claws, man." Jack swished his tail agitatedly before continuing. "As for Ryan, well, he's been on the move lately, but he's been keeping to the mountains mostly, about five, maybe six miles from here." An easy distance for Jack.

"That far?" Ray seemed distressed to be so far from his master. "How could he have gotten _that_ far?"

"Well, he kinda hitched a ride with me..." Jack answered sheepishly. "Don't worry Ray, your master didn't abandon you. He knew you'd be okay, but he needed to get out of there. So he sent me to come find you." And boy was Jack glad he had. Poor kid was stressed to bits.

Ray kneaded on Jack's back, barely even thinking about his claws that flexed. "Thanks for coming to get me, I guess. I would have found him eventually."

Jack didn't want to see what kind emotional wreck Ray would've been by then had he been left to his own devices. A familiar's bond was a strong, sometimes emotionally taxing one. "No problem, man." Jack looked back at Gavin who was slowly following behind, tottering back and forth on his feet. The human young man was exhausted. Jack sighed, slowing to a halt. He grabbed Gavin by the back of the shirt and threw him over his back before walking off again.

Ray was still fidgeting on Jack's back as they walked. He didn't question Gavin's ascension. Jack must’ve really felt generous. He curled up at the base of Jack's torso, occasionally meowing and looking up, trying to feel his bond. Still nothing, not even a stir. He looked up at the mountain. That was going to take some getting used to.

Gavin thanked Jack, nearly passing out with the comforting sway of Jack's walking. He flumped over so he was draped across Jack, peacefully falling asleep.

Jack turned to look at Ray. "I hope you know what you’re doing. If that kid's a foot soldier of the compound we're all fucked."

"I don't think he is. Plus, how is he going to know where the hell he is when he wakes up? We can just blindfold him and toss him out or something," Ray offered, hopping up onto Jack's shoulder to give Gavin more room. "Besides, he doesn't even have any weapons. Not any that he can use competently...I don't think.”

"We're not just…gonna leave him, he'll die." Whether by dehydration, starvation, or an angry magical creature. "Let's just hurry up and get you home. Make sure he doesn't fall off." Jack sped up into a light trot, careful not to bounce off his passengers too much.

Ray jumped back down onto jack's back, keeping an eye on Gavin. Should he start to slip he would return to his human form and catch him, but he didn't want to change now and surprise Jack with the sudden weight change. He knew he could _handle_  it, but it was still rude.

Soon, they were in the mountains, and Jack had to wake the slumbering young man and have him walk on his own. Even with four legs, Jack wasn't the best at navigating such treacherous terrain. He was careful as he stepped, testing the ground to make sure it wouldn't slide beneath his hooves. "Fuckin christ, why'd we have to hole up in the mountains."

"Maybe it's for the best. Humans don't normally come up here," Ray reasoned. He was mostly just anxious to get to Ryan. "Need me to fly?"

Suddenly, there was a loud shriek and the sound of tumbling rocks as Gavin slipped and fell, hanging on for dear life. Indistinguishable garbles flew from the boy's mouth as he struggled to get back up.

Ray hopped off, jumping into his human form to try and grab the poor kid, only to come too late. He was scared he had failed to save him, until someone familiar came up over the cliff, Gavin in his claws.

"Stop your fucking whining already, I'm not going to drop you!" Instead, the dragon flung Gavin onto safe ground. "Except for that."

Gavin let out another squawk of surprise as he was both suddenly picked up and dropped. He had thought he was a goner for sure. When he looked up to see who his savior was, he almost startled off the cliff again. "A dragon!?" In all his life he'd only heard about them. There had been rumors that his outpost had managed to capture a dragon before, but the matter had been silenced almost immediately.

"Michael!" Ray breathed a sigh of relief, his companion joining them on the ledge.

"I finally caught up to you guys, I've been chasing your assholes for a couple miles," Michael said, jabbing a scaly thumb back in the other direction. "Who's this guy?"

Gavin gave a quiet 'hi' as he waved, dumbstruck. The dragon was…smaller…than the rumors lead one to believe. Then again, he was probably just still young.

"We'll explain on the way. This one's getting antsy." Jack nodded back at Ray who was fidgeting like mad.

"Don't blame him, his master left him high and dry in the lowlands." Probably not the best thing to say to Ray in his state of anxiety. The poor kid was probably going to cling to Ryan for days on end before he affirmed that, no, he hadn't been left behind with malicious intent. "Let's get up there."

"I'll get Ray there. You take…this one."

"Ey! I can walk there on my own! I don't need to be carried." Gavin protested, starting to walk again, teetering this way and that.

"Right, that's why you almost just fell off a cliff." Jack muttered something about stupid humans before walking off again, Ray on his back, digging into him with his claws.

"Don't scream," Michael advised before he gripped Gavin under his arms, hoisting them both up into the air. He didn't offer Gavin any alternative way to fly, he just dangled him in the air.

Gavin screamed the whole way there, like a siren of dumb. Jack chuckled when he heard the two arguing in midair. "Ohhh boy…" He hurried to follow behind Michael, not wanting to lose them.

Eventually, somehow, all four of them made it to Ryan's hut without injury. Ryan was outside putting up magical barriers, struggling a bit without his familiar there to assist him.

"I said shut up!" Michael exclaimed, face going red as he carried Gavin through the mountain path, swinging past rocks and weaving between tight spaces, until finally he set Gavin down on the ground. Dropped him, more like. "Will you stop screaming now?"

Ray jumped off of Jack's back as soon as he saw Ryan, swooping down as an owl and perching on Ryan's shoulder...and gripping very tight.

Gavin was left panting and a little nauseas on the ground while the witch and his familiar reunited. Ryan wrapped his hands around the fluffy little body, bringing him into his arms for a hug. "I'm sorry for leaving you behind Ray. I wasn't able to find you before we had to run." He barely glanced at all the others. "Everyone get inside. We have to ward this place still."

While Ray stayed with Ryan to help him with the wards, Michael took charge of dragging Gavin inside, glancing around. "Anyone know where Geoff is? Did he get taken care of?" The guy could take care of himself, probably better than most everyone in their little group, but it was still worrying to have a member missing.

"He'll be fine." Jack assured as he struggled to fit in the door. They really needed centaur-sized accommodations.

Gavin was still trying to figure out just what the hell he'd stepped into. He'd only left the compound a couple of days prior and he was getting dragged into a little gathering of magical beings.

While Ray was running in and out of the little home, Michael made himself comfortable by gathering up all his allotted blankets and made his nest in the corner, burrowing under it. "Good to be home," he grunted. He sniffed a moment and groaned. "Who left their laundry in my nest again?" They'd barely been together ten minutes and the drama was already starting.

"No, you're not starting this right now. We've got more important things to think about than your pile in the corner." Jack argued back, "Besides, that mess looks like a pile of laundry anyhow."

"Guys, guys, come on. Shush." Ryan came inside, completely exhausted. He usually had time enough after conjuring a shelter to recharge before doing the wards, but not today apparently. He flopped down on the couch, wiping his brow.

"I wouldn't have to argue if people would stop tossing laundry on my bed!" Michael puffed up his cheeks and burrowed right back down into his nest. "All your clothes are going to smell like my piss."

Ray turned to his cat form and jumped right on top of Ryan, resting on his chest. He refused to leave his master too far away, not after being alone for so long.

Jack stamped his feet, disgusted by MIchael's threat while Gavin scrambled and tumbled to try and get out of the way of a potential fight. Ryan did his absolute best to try and ignore them, gently petting Ray on the head and back. He looked over at the idiots making a mess in the back and had to do a double take. Was that? No…it couldn't be…


	3. Big Bad Human

"Wait…are you…?"

Ray perked up and noticed Ryan staring at the human. "Oh, we picked up a drifter. He came from the compound, but I think he's fine. He just wants directions to the nearest town."

"No…I know him…" He shifted Ray up onto his shoulder as he sat up. He squinted as he looked over the cowering human. "Are you…Gavin…perchance?"

Gavin looked up when his name was mentioned. "Do I know you? Am I supposed to know you?" It had often been thrown in his face that he had a shit memory, but he honestly couldn't remember this man in front of him.

Ray shifted back to his human form and Michael stopped harassing Jack for a moment to pay attention to what was happening. Ray peeked out from behind Ryan. "Do you know him?"

Gavin looked at everyone before tentatively shaking his head. "I don't think so? I mean, I've seen a lot of people, I could've just forgotten. My bad…"

Ryan shook his head, pulling a small smile. "No, I'm probably mistaken. Overexerting one's self to the point of physical and mental exhaustion does funny things to your brain." He sat back down, deciding to ignore it for now. "You're decked out in gear that would make most of our kind turn and run. What makes him special enough to have been brought here?" He looked around the room for answers. Surprised that even the incredibly cautious Jack would let him in.

"Said he left the compound and just took what they had," Ray piped up, "Plus, he doesn't seem like he could hurt anyone. He tries anything he's going to have every last one of us on his dry ass."

Michael was leering out from under his blankets, directly at Gavin with his sharp, golden eyes. He looked the least forgiving out of all of them. _Looked_ the least forgiving. It didn't mean he was.

Gavin chuckled nervously, adjusting the bandana around his neck to hide the lower half of his face, as if it'd somehow mask his sudden worry.

"Well, alright." Ryan looked around, brow furrowing from his tired smile to a concerned frown. "Where's Geoff?"

"No idea," Ray sighed, fiddling with his ill fitting clothing. "He'll make it back to us, he can take care of himself." He was more resourceful than he looked. "I give it a couple days before we start worrying. He's probably seen Michael flying around shouting bloody murder."

"Just making sure something hasn't already happened." He wasn't too worried about his friend. Geoff managed to fly pretty low under the radar most of the time. He let his eyes flutter shut. He was definitely passing out.

"I'll go out and see if I can find some supplies." Jack offered. He didn't like being cooped up, anyhow.

Ray wasn't leaving Ryan's side, draped over him like a protector. Michael encroached in on Gavin, looking him up and down. "So. You came from the compound, hunh?"

Gavin sat down next to the pile, looking at the dragon out of the corner of his eyes. "Yeah, I uh, grew up there." He cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice from squeaking. "Wh-What about you, where you from?"

"Home grown right here in the mountains." Michael wasn't taking his eyes off Gavin, like he was supposed to watch him while everyone else was busy. "Not that you'd know anything about up here."

"You know about as much about my life as I do yours." Gavin countered. Even though his life may not have been filled with the fear of imprisonment, he'd also never been someone dangerous enough, or necessary enough to be confined for the purposes that the creatures of magic were. It was just how things had to be for the better.

"I know you get comfy bedchambers while people like me get to rot in underground cells." Michael had heard enough about Ryan's stories than he cared to experience. He himself was a free dragon, always had been, and he hoped to always stay free.

"I wasn't saying that my life was like theirs, our lives were hard in different ways." Gavin suddenly didn't want to talk about this anymore. "I think, uh, I'm going to go outside." Gavin got up to slink out of the house. He didn't like feeling trapped with the dragon.

While Gavin was sitting outside, several pieces of flint were tossed around him occasionally, gravel seeming to fall right out of the sky beside him. There was occasional shuffling, and sometimes other items were tossed around him, but gravel and flint seemed to be a favorite.

Gavin flinched whenever the stuff hit him or got in his eyes. He brushed it out of his hair and looked up, not seeing right away what it was that was bothering him. "What the hell…?" He stood up, swiveling around. "What's going on?"

Though it was mostly silent, quiet giggles and snorts were coming from around one of the rocks. Another clump of gravel was tossed towards Gavin before an impish face appeared over top of the rocks.

Gavin blinked in surprise, not expecting a face to suddenly appear. "A…fairy?" Not exactly what he imagined a fairy to look like. He imagined a petite, pretty lady with wings and a cheeky little smile. Like Tinkerbell, but without the shitty attitude. This was…basically the exact opposite.

The fairy was trying to stifle his giggles, grinning from over the rocks. "What, me?" He didn't say anything else, grinning down at Gavin. "You must be lost."

"Nah, I'm hangin out with the blokes, back there." Gavin gestured to where the invisible house sat. Granted, only 3 of them were still inside last he checked. "Who're you?"

"I'm glad you're pointing at nothing, it saves me the time of finding the house." Ryan really needed to make it so that at least everyone who lived in the house could locate it. "I'm Geoff. I take it you've met the others. How many of 'em are in there?"

"Ohhhh, you're Geoff. Yeah, the others were looking for you." It was amazing how fast he felt like he had assimilated within the group. Such a welcoming bunch. Then again, he didn't pose much of a threat. "There was uh…the dragon that wants to bite my bloody head off, the beardy centaur, the cat with separation anxiety, and the wizard…dude."

"Yep, that's all of them! Glad they all got back so quick," Geoff piped up, jumping down beside Gavin. He was several inches taller. Not something one would expect for a fairy. "Don't worry about Michael, he wants to bite everyone's head off every now and then. He's loud, but he's not dangerous."

"Mn…" Gavin nodded, looking over Geoff, "So…what are you, exactly? I've never encountered anything like you before." Though he had never really seen all the creatures kept in his family’s compound.

"I'm a fairy." Geoff waved his hands dramatically, as if it would make sparkles appear around him. That didn't happen, but he did turn invisible. "We get to do cool things like that!" He reappeared on Gavin's other side, arms crossed. "You look pretty vanilla. Plain old human, hunh? Can tell you're from the compound a ways back. Surprised Jack let you ten miles near us."

Well, it remained to be seen if Jack would let him stay. He had adopted a sort of motherly role over the group, watching them all from behind, keeping an eye out and keeping everyone in line. He watched over Gavin and Geoff interacting, fully relieved that Geoff was safe and sound, but still not fully trusting of Gavin. He seemed like a sweet enough boy, if not just misguided.

Geoff opened the door to the invisible home, glancing over the sleeping Ryan and Ray, who looked unable to sleep. Poor kid was probably a wreck, being so far away from Ryan for so long... He always denied it, but they knew it made him anxious. He saw Michael hiding in his pile and grinned, picking up a sock and tossing it over at the dragon's nest. "Laundry dragon!"

"Shut UP!"

Ryan stirred as Michael and Geoff bounded around the tiny space. He ran a hand through his hair, a quiet groan leaking from his throat. "Guys, can you take it outside? I feel like I've got a hangover." Curse the side effects of overdrawing mana.

Michael had already taken the liberty of tackling Geoff to the ground, catching him in a headlock. Geoff was laughing and sputtering, face red. Michael begrudgingly let Geoff go, just in time for the fairy to flip him up and zoom outside.

"I'm going to get you this time!" Michael howled, dashing right out after the fairy. Just another day.

Ryan shifted so he was lying on his back, preparing to fall asleep again. He reached up and stroked behind Ray's ears, he could feel his familiar twitching anxiously. "Don't worry, Ray. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." With that, he fell back asleep.

Outside, Gavin had become the dragon's new playmate. Since Geoff had disappeared, the dragon had decided on a new target. Gavin weaved and bobbed as he tried to avoid the dragon. He squawked at every sudden turn and every close swipe of the dragon's claws.

"Got you, you nasty bastard!" Michael snatched Gavin up by the back of his clothes, taking a tumble down a hill with him. He grunted as he flopped out, gravity finally taking hold of him. "Well, that was lame."

"I'm a slow, weakling of a human, what do you expect!" Gavin cried from where he was pinned beneath the dragon. He wriggled feebly, trying to slide out from under Michael. "Alright, alright, you've had your fun, now let me up."

Michael rolled off and stared at Gavin, as if thinking up new ways to make him more fun to be around. "What do you even do? You must be so bored all the time." What was the point if you couldn't rough house with a bunch of other assholes?

"I had friends, you know? We did stuff together! You don't have to fly around or turn into a kitty or do shitty magic tricks in order to have a good time, asshole." He stretched his back out a bit. He roughhoused with his friends plenty; they just didn't have such an unfair advantage.

"It's kind of hard to imagine humans even have friends, considering the shit they do to the rest of us sentient beings." Michael scrunched up his nose at Gavin, leering at him over his nose. "You'd think maybe you'd let some of us decent people out of your jails."

"There's a difference between the jails and the housing units for magical folk." Granted, housing units was a fancy name for what they were in actuality. The jails were a step above torture chambers, but just barely. "You'd only go to jail if you've done something bad, like tried to attack someone." Or escape. "We're not robots, you pleb." He'd never been on the receiving end of such open prejudice.

"You know, more gracious folks than me would explain to you how wrong you are. But I'm just going to call you an asshole. You asshole." Michael could tell that Gavin didn't actually know the truth of the oppression magical folks underwent. Of course, having only ever met two humans before Gavin neither had he, really.

"Then you're a punk bitch." Gavin was getting cocky, and he stuck out his tongue. "You’ve never been inside a compound, you have no idea what goes on there.” But he couldn’t expect Michael to understand, so he wasn’t going to force him.

Jack came trotting through the hills, firewood strapped to his back and some root vegetables bouncing around in his satchel. He saw that Michael and Gavin were exchanging words and hurried over to make sure nothing bad was going on. “You two getting along?"

"You know, just the usual," Michael told him, "Starting fires, pillaging towns, eating up small children." He stared at Gavin, giving him a nice stink-eye. "I know enough stories from Ryan to know what goes on in those compounds of yours."

Gavin scoffed, "Then according to the stories I've heard you should be out destroying towns and burning people alive with your fire breath before ripping them to pieces." Gavin spat before turning back to the hut. He wasn't listening to any more of this. The compounds did good; they'd save the dying planet while ingrates like Michael prattled about something he knew nothing about.

"You want fire? I can give you fire!" Michael puffed up his cheeks, looking like he was about to wreak havoc. That was until he choked and coughed, pathetic spurts of smoke escaping him.

"Deep breaths, Michael." Jack patted the dragon's back, helping him through the coughing fit. Gavin sniggered a bit. What sort of dragon couldn't breathe fire? He didn't want to let Michael see that he was giggling at him so he turned away, slipping inside the hut.

"Dick," Michael coughed out, face red from the strain. He pounded his chest, breathing in deep. He managed to get out a few sparks with that one.

Geoff was busy fixing them all some lunch with what little provisions they had left. "There you are, is Jack back with all that food?"

"Uhhh…yeah. He's outside with Michael." Gavin sat down on one of the chairs, biting his lip. "Is it really alright that I'm here with you all?" He didn't feel particularly welcome, but without them he'd be in a right bugger's muddle.

"Well, we're not going to chase you off, if that's what you mean." Geoff was working under the idea that Gavin would be given what he needed and he would be on his way: a good meal, some water, and a map to the nearest town. "If it's about Michael, trust me, his bark is worse than his bite."

Gavin gave a slow nod, head swinging around when Jack came in with some veg.

"Here you are Geoff. Ain't much, but it should work for tonight." Jack deposited the vegetables and got to work cleaning them up while Geoff continued cooking.

Ryan stood up, heading to their supplies and grabbing a water skin for a drink. "Need my help for anything?"

"Nope, you're good. Maybe go pet Ray, he's been stewing on top of you for a while now." Geoff wouldn't tell him how much of a bear Ray was when he woke up, no pun intended. Okay, _slightly_ intended. Geoff ruffled Michael's hair as he slunk by, trying to sneak past the others and hop into his nest, away from prying eyes.

Ryan nodded, heading back to his spot. "What's the matter with you, Michael? You look like a cat that's just had his tail stepped on." He took a swig of his water, catching Gavin giving him a thoughtful look out of the corner of his eye.

Michael didn't say anything, just leered at Gavin. It was clear he objected to Gavin's presence, or at least his presence _in the house._ He had grown to see Ryan as his protector, and a protector meant no humans allowed in his eyes.

"He's grumpy, as usual," Geoff snickered, tossing some vegetables in the pot.

Ryan went over to Michael, crouching down and reaching out to ruffle the tuft of curly hair that sat between two dark horns. "Seems more like territorial to me." No one there liked the fact that there was a big, bad human in their home base. Suddenly, Ryan's mood changed. A tingle of unease shot down his back. His face went sullen and he turned to face the rest of the room. "Ray and Geoff, I need you to check our perimeter. Something feels off."

Ray seemed nervous to be away from Ryan, but Geoff snatched him up and carried him right out of the house, leaving the cooking to Jack. "You got it, I'm out. Don't worry about this one, I've got him." He scratched behind Ray's ears, who meowed in protest.

"It'll be alright, Ray. Stay hidden you two, it could be dangerous." Ryan bustled about, ensuring his wards were up. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Or, rather, in the intricate web of magic he'd set up to alert him of approaching malicious intent.

Jack knew that look, and he didn't like it. He shut off the stove and covered the pot, heading to a window to keep an extra eye out.

Michael didn't quite know what to do but he jumped up out of his nest and leered out of the windows with Jack, occasionally burping out smoke in his nervousness. Ray shifted to his owl form, so he could head up and get a birds eye view.

"Michael, stay down," Jack warned. He knew they were invisible, for now, but he didn't want to risk anything. Suddenly, a group of compound scouts revved over the hills. Jack cursed himself, regretting not covering their tracks. "Shit, what do we do?"

Ray dove in from the roof, clinging to Ryan. "Geoff is hiding! We weren't seen... I think they're passing through, looking for people..." He couldn't help but stare at Gavin, as if looking for answers.

Gavin looked around, seeing a bit of blame in their faces. "U-Uh, well…it's a fairly routine patrol in these parts." He twiddled his finger in a circle, "They're probably just passing through…most likely." He hoped.

"For your sake, they better." Jack growled, tail twitching agitatedly. "If you fucked us over, I swear to god, if we get out of this I'll kill you myself."

Michael declared himself official watcher of the human, sitting still and glaring at Gavin without blinking. His unnerving stare even disturbed Ray, who was feeling rather guilty for letting the human anywhere near their home. He knew he shouldn't have brought him by...

Ryan stroked Ray's back as he thought through the situation. He felt a bit like an evil mastermind as he did so, but he needed to think. "If they were this close behind us, they were probably already on our trail already. The nearest compound is about 20 miles away. No offense Gavin, but you don't seem clever enough or subtle enough for subterfuge…" Ryan crackled with electricity as his temper rose. Memories of his past started creeping up, the fears of being caught and dragged back to that place shrouding his mind and muddling his focus. "Fucking hell..."

Ray shifted again, this time into a rabbit as he pawed at Ryan, sensing his cloudy thoughts and urging himself to comfort his master, wiggling his floppy ears. No one could resist _that_.

Ryan appreciated what his familiar was trying to do, and he patted Ray on the head, acknowledging his efforts. "We have to leave. Now. I was way too drained when I set up the wards and now they're failing. Michael, get Gavin out of here and make sure Ray stays with you. Jack, I'm going to need a ride when this is over with." Ryan pulled the hood up over his head and fixed the cowl so it covered the scar around his neck. The troopers were closing in; he'd have to slow them down.

Ray nervously shifted to his owl form again and perched on Michael's shoulders, who grabbed Gavin by the back of his coat. "Come on, asshole, you're flying with me." They'd have to stay on the down low, but he would take care of them, plus Ray could be their eyes.

"What about Geoff?" Ray called back, "He's still out there somewhere."

"Geoff is probably safest out of all of us." Jack commented as he slipped his quiver over his shoulder. "I'm behind you, Ryan."

"Then you're going to want to cover your eyes." Ryan let down the wards and let the hovel fall from around them. He gave a cry and a burst of bright magic shot from his hands, blinding the enemy temporarily. Ryan passed out after that, Jack nabbing him and booking it. Michael flew behind, the wind from his wings covering their footprints

Ray was heading the tail end with Michael in front of them. He kept his eyes peeled for Geoff, who had gone missing _again_. He made sure to keep an eye on those guards.

Michael was busy cursing up a storm, trying to get Gavin to quiet down and stop squirming. "I'll drop you, I swear to god!"

Gavin tried to remain as quiet as possible, scared shitless of what this would mean for him. If he stopped, he'd probably be able to identify who was chasing after them. Ohh dear, what if they thought he'd been taken. He was really causing this group a lot of trouble.

"Over here," Ray shouted, leading Jack over to an alcove in the mountain rocks. "It's out of sight! And the guards are going a different direction, like they're being lead..." Probably Geoff, doing his friends a solid. The guy could be a pain, but boy did he have a heart.

Jack was huffing like mad by the time they finally made it to the alcove. He set Ryan's unconscious form down before letting his equine half collapse. He really wasn't used to this kind of physical exertion. "We all make it?" He huffed out, doing a quick head count.

Gavin was tossed unceremoniously into the gully. Michael dove in behind everyone, nestled in amongst his friends, staring up at the entrance to the alcove, as if daring guards to come marching in after them. "I think we're fine, but we still don't have Geoff."

"I think he was distracting the guards," Ray offered.

"He'll be here eventually." Jack took another deep breath before going to the entrance, bow at the ready. "Keep Ryan safe." Without their magic friend, they'd have been captured or dead long ago. They had to keep him alive.

Gavin looked at what a mess this had become; he had to help out some how. He opened his bag and pulled out his first aid kit, trying to think of something he could do.

Michael was poised in front of Ryan, Ray backing him up in his human form, waiting and watching. They didn't pay any attention to Gavin, if not just to glare at him every now and then whenever he shifted or made a noise.

There were several noises before Geoff popped up, grinning. "Found you!"

There wasn't much Gavin could do for someone with depleted mana, but Ryan's head was warmer than usual so he did his best to keep him cool.

"Yeah, we're back." Jack and Geoff slipped inside the alcove. "The sniffer dogs are gone for now. How is he?"

"Out cold," Michael grunted, crawling up to the entrance to peer out and keep an eye on everything. He sat up, diligent and alert. No one was going to get past his keen dragon senses. He couldn't spit fire very well, but he could sure as hell make a lot of scary noises.

"He's warm, but he just needs to replenish his energy," Ray said, trying to sift through Ryan's cloak.

Ryan stirred, blinking his eyes open, a fluffy body right in his face. "I'm alright, I'm alright." He pushed himself up and scooted back against the wall. "What's going on?"

"Don't be alarmed," Geoff said, speaking very slowly. "But you might have burned the house down." He couldn't even finish his poorly timed joke as he burst into giggles. He wasn't fooling anybody.

Ryan gripped his head, trying to focus on anything but Geoff’s dumb jokes. "They're going to comb this area for us. We're going to have to stay on the move…for a while…"

"When you're feeling better." Jack pushed. "In fact, we could all use some sleep, it's getting kinda late." Jack settled down, positioning himself near Ryan just in case.

"We'll keep a watch shift," Geoff said, hopping up next to the entrance of the alcove, turning invisible nearly immediately. That taken care of, the others tried to find a comfortable spot in what little room they had.

"I'll go after Geoff," Michael offered, curling up beside Ryan with Ray nestling on his back. He also had the lovely job of watching Gavin.

Gavin almost didn't want to sleep. He didn't trust the look Michael was giving him. Eventually, he got tired enough to curl up on the ground opposite the others. He knew already that this was going to be a long night. What he didn't know was that there were many more danger filled nights to come.


	4. Everyone's a Little Bit Racist

Geoff and Michael switched off periodically throughout the night whenever the other needed a quick nap. When morning came, Geoff crowed like a cock, standing over his friends. "Wakey wakey, sorry there's no eggs n' bakey."

"The hell's got you so chipper?" Jack grumbled as he woke. His lower body was aching like nobody's business. He stood up, with only minor struggle. "Any sign of them?"

"Well, you know, just making the best of what we don't have." For how chipper he seemed, Geoff wasn't saying things that were all that motivational. Michael was crabby, having been up and down all night.

Ryan woke before his heavy sleeper of a familiar, getting up and stretching his sore back and neck. "You'd think we would be used to sleeping in such undesirable circumstances." He looked around the alcove. "But that does beg the question: are we having breakfast?"

"Unless you can unpack our provisions in that little magic bunker you've got tucked away in your coat, no," Geoff said, glancing out the entrance to the alcove. "If you want me and Jack to head out and forage a bit we might be able to find something."

"I can always check my secret pockets, but unfortunately my poly-blend portals to alternate dimensions filled exclusively with never-ending food are malfunctioning today." Ryan could never resist a bit of snark. "It might be a good idea for us all to go looking. We can't stay here anyways, we should keep moving. Though maybe not as such an exhaustingly rapid pace."

"Are you sure you should be up?" Geoff asked, brow furrowed. He hopped up on Jack's back, sitting sideways, overlooking his friends. "You're the important one here, you should rest."

"You flatter me, Geoff, but we're all important here. And I'm a bit dizzy, but nothing I can't power through." He turned back to look at the others who were still sleeping.

"Well, stay here for the time being. Geoff and I will be back if we find anything." Jack turned and headed out of the alcove, stopping at the entrance to survey before trotting on ahead.

Michael made a face and nudged Ray up, then promptly kicked Gavin. "Wake up, asshole. Time to pull your weight and head out with us on a wild food chase." Michael would try and dart around low profile to find some wildlife, but it was doubtful to find anything.

Gavin, still mostly asleep, startled, dazed and confused by his surroundings. He almost shrieked at the sight of an angry dragon inches from his face, but his brain kicked into gear before that could happen. "Alright, sure." Gavin got up, stretched, cracked a few joints, and grabbed his backpack before heading towards the entrance. "You guys coming?"

Ray was still waking up, yawned and stretched out, claws flexing. He popped up onto Ryan's shoulder, nestling in the hood of his cloak where he fit just right.

Michael was still stretching, flexing his wings and then his arms. "Yeah, yeah, I'm right behind you."

"Splendid. Got the lizard man following me threatening to bite my knob off." He muttered under his breath as he trudged through the mostly dead underbrush. He had no idea what he was looking for, but he figured that Michael would give a shout should he find anything.

"Hey, this lizard man really will bite your...whatever you called it off if you don't get moving," Michael huffed, choking up another puff of smoke. His face was going red and he was trying not to let it show that he needed to cough.

"I'm movin!" Gavin protested, turning around to argue with the dragon when he saw how red the poor creature's face was. "Hey, are you alright?" He started to approach the dragon who was sputtering and had water in the corner of his eyes.

Michael finally let the coughs out, sparks and smoke flying everywhere as he covered his mouth, cheeks red with blush this time instead.

Gavin closed his eyes and scrunched up his nose. He wanted to cough himself after the plume of smoke was belched in his face. "God!" he exclaimed, "What sort of dragon can't breathe fire? I mean how hard can it be? It's a defining point for your species!"

"For your _information_ ," Michael stressed the emphasis, "I'm not even old enough for my flint sac to be fully developed, so _there_!" He gave Gavin a shove, directing him to move forward. "And that's racist! Not all dragons breathe fire!"

"Well excuse me for not knowing the full biology of every different breed of dragon." Gavin stumbled, almost falling over his lanky legs. "Gods, what an ass." He mumbled again before he continued on walking.

"Excuse me for assuming humans might think there's a little bit more to us than just the homogenous red dragon breathing fire and stealing princesses," Michael snapped right back, sneering.

"Shuuuut uuuuup." Gavin groaned, letting his head fall back. He'd heard nothing but whining and irritated shouting from the dragon since the moment they met. It was getting incredibly annoying.

"You shut up," Michael retorted quite maturely. He grunted and yanked Gavin down, pointing over. "Mountain goat."

Gavin nodded, reaching into his bag and pulling out a standard issue firearm. "Oooooh, we're going to eat good tonight, my boy!" Gavin said in an excited whisper, his words squeaking a bit.

"Shhhush!" Michael skittered along the rocks, peering over at the goat. He knew he was supposed to check in with one of the older men in the group before he went in for a kill, but they were probably busy finding something to veg on. He would go in for this one alone.

Gavin had already popped the sight on his gun, staring down the barrel as he aimed to shoot. There were lots of things he wasn't great at, but he'd had his friend Dan teach him the ways of the semi-automatic. "Ohh, you're mine~"

Michael caught sight of the gun and tackled Gavin to the ground. "Are you crazy? That thing is way too loud, you'll cause a rock slide or the guards will hear you!"

Gavin waggled the gun. Thankfully the safety was still on. "Silencer, Michael." His grin grew cocky, "But if you insist, feel free to rip the poor thing apart."

"You don't _rip it apart_ , then the meat's no good," Michael snapped, pulling back. "Watch and fuckin' learn." He slunk around a few rocks, weaving between the hills as he slowly, very slowly encroached on the unsuspecting mountain goat. With no more ado he pounced on it without a sound, snapping his neck under his jaws. It barely even struggled, only letting out one course bleat that was cut short.

Gavin sat in the brush, watching as the dragon hunted. He'd have to put that in his notes when he got some time alone. Dragons, thus far, seemed to be a lot like big, scale-covered cats. While he was disappointed that he wasn't going to get the chance to show off his own skills, this was a rare opportunity. He figured the dragon would appreciate some praise. "Not bad."

"Hell yeah it's not bad, look how fuckin' gorgeous that strike wound is?" Michael gripped the goat and flew up towards Gavin. "We need to find the others, so that they know we got a kill. If we ration this, it'll last us at least a couple days." Well, for some of them, not all of them were carnivorous.

Gavin rolled his eyes, letting Michael have his moment. He followed after, slipping the gun into his bag. Perhaps it was best to save his ammo. They returned to the cave where Ryan was meditating, Ray within arm's reach.

"Ryan! Guess what I caught!" Michael cheered, hoisting his kill over his shoulders, an accomplished smirk on his face. "I didn't even need Geoff or Jack there with me."

"Oh, wow!" Ryan grinned, eyebrows raising. He was genuinely impressed. He stood up, inspecting the kill before giving Michael a pat on the shoulder. "You did good, Michael."

Michael puffed up his chest, pleased that Ryan was happy with the kill. "I figured it would be a great ration for the next few days for those of us who eat meat, and we can save whatever veggies the others bring back for them."

"If we eat everything this could easily last us over a week." And if they were careful about portion size. "I'll go outside and clean it up. Good work you two." Ryan took the goat, holding it by its legs as he brought it outside to be drained and skinned.

Michael didn't exactly take kindly to Gavin getting equal credit for the kill, but he let him have it. What could a silly human do against him anyway.

As soon as Ryan was more than ten feet away from him Ray jumped up and trotted after him, eager not to let him out of his sight once more.

Ryan cocked an eyebrow down at Ray. "Gonna help me out? Get your paws dirty?" Ryan pulled out a knife and got to work while the other two boys glared at each other from across the cave.

"Only if you need it, I mean I am totally here for your comfort and desire," Ray snorted, bobbing his head side to side as if mocking his master. He shifted to his human form and helped Ryan out as best he could, despite his words.

"Always making it sound dirty." Ryan looked at his familiar, face falling from a teasing grin and growing slightly more serious. "Are you sure you're okay? I mean, I know you like to stay close, but…" Ryan struggled to find the right words.

"It's like you expect me to explode because I spent more than a couple days away from you. I swear, I'm fine." Of course, they all knew he was hiding just how anxious he got every time Ryan was out of his sight. Everything would settle back into place, but he still needed time.

Ryan extended the hand that wasn't bloody, gently cradling the back of Ray's head and pulling him in for a hug. He briefly rested his chin atop the boy's head. His hand slid down to rub Ray's back before he pulled away, going back to business. "Go see if there's any twine or something in my bag, would you Ray?"

The hug was greatly appreciated and Ray let out a soft sigh of relief, relaxing visibly. He nodded and scampered back to the bag, looking up to see Michael and Gavin properly glaring one another down. He rolled his sleeves and didn't say anything, just getting what Ryan needed and returning to him.

"You know, its exhausting: glaring at one another. Don't you think so, dragon?" Gavin flopped back, not at all hiding the sass in his voice. The dragon no longer truly scared him.

"You know, it's exhausting, watching you all the time, don't you think so, human?" Michael mimicked Gavin's accent in an exaggerated fashion. "Don't call me dragon, I have a _name_."

"So do I!" Gavin frowned before hopping up. He had to get away from this dragon or he was going to go absolutely mental. If there hadn’t been the promise of fresh meat he'd be out of there.

"Fine. I'll make a deal with you. You call me _Michael_ and I'll call you _Gavin_." Michael reached a hand out, pursing his lips.

"Fair's fair I suppose." Gavin took Michael's hand, offering a small smile. Maybe the creature wasn't a fuming ball or irritation. He could give Michael a shot.

"So tell me something," Michael said, this time looking genuinely interested instead of hiding behind haughty nonsense. "You lived at the compound right? What's it like from your perspective?"

Gavin sat back down, leaning against the wall. He put his hands behind his head as he thought. "I was supposed to inherit the responsibility of the compound. Which meant I'd be responsible to make sure that we kept producing power and no one got killed. To make sure we don't lose the magical creatures that make life possible. Sometimes there are hard decisions, but it’s for the best of the planet that we make them."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Those were very vague answers, and Michael didn't understand the language. He made a face. "You know, Ryan escaped from some compound. Says they were the worst years of his life."

"Those who are cooperative and want to help get to live comfortably. Those who are a threat are imprisoned. It's not that hard a concept to grasp." Gavin didn't get what was so confusing. "It sure as hell beats starving in the dying underbrush."

"Well, as you can see, we're not exactly starving here, are we?" Michael's cheeks puffed up, but he tried to calm himself down with the breathing techniques that Geoff and Jack had shown him. "You'd think you'd maybe let some people go if they didn't want to be there."

"Yeah, let them go and let the world die. Great strategy Michael, you should be on the advisory board." Gavin had had enough of this.

"Except you're imprisoning people," Michael made a face. "Why not put your brilliant human minds together to find an alternate power source."

"Shut up, Michael, you don't know anything. You're a big, dumb dragon that grew up in the mountains. You have no idea how the world works!" Gavin was growing legitimately annoyed. He stood up and began to tromp off.

"Have you even _tried_ to find an alternate power source?" Michael was going red again, hiccuping a few puffs of smoke as he bottled up the anger. He was trying his damnedest to be civil here.

"You seem to have all the answers, Michael, why not ask yourself." He huffed, heading out of the alcove with a huff, tromping past Ryan and Ray. He didn’t even care that he wasn’t making sense anymore.

"That's why I'm asking you, _asshole_!" Michael shouted, coughing up smoke once more and going into another fit. Ray was the one to offer assistance, helping him breathe in and out and exhale all the smoke in a less violent manner.

Ryan came in a little while later, pushing his hair back from his forehead. "I'm guessing there's a story here. Wanna talk about it?"

Michael was still a little wheezy, shaking his head with his cheeks still flush with stress. Ray was patting his back and helping him with his breathing. "He and Gavin went at it, again." Ray looked up to Ryan with a shrug. He didn't quite know what to do with it. Michael and Gavin were both too hotheaded to really handle any semblance of debate.

"Well, let's go find the evil, human boy," Ryan teased, "can't let him wander far." His face dropped into one of seriousness. "It gets dangerous, and we don't need the dead body of the eldest son of the compound's director in our back lawn."

"Michael should come with us, this fit is a bad one." Michael's incessant need to hold it in didn't make it any better. Of course, he always did that around strangers. The poor juvenile dragon always needed to puff himself up twice his own size.

Ryan reached up and placed a hand on Michael's chest. His hand started to glow, and the smoke was dissipated from Michael's lungs and his breathing passages were on their way to normal. "I'm still pretty tired, so let's not make a habit of this. You've gotta learn how to get yourself through these someday."

"I can get through them fine!" Michael was usually hiccup-y and coughing for a few hours, but it was usually fine in the end. He was embarrassed Ryan had to help him again.

"Gavin went that way," Ray said, pointing off, trying to redirect away from Michael's problems. The dragon was no doubt already embarrassed enough.

"Ray, can you give me and Michael a moment?" He figured that the two of them were due for a little chitchat. "It'll just be a bit, I promise."

Ray nodded and hung back, heading back for the goat, despite how it really didn't need any more tending to.

"What is it?" Michael huffed, crossing his arms. He could tell a chewing out was coming.

"I know you don't like humans, and I take the blame for that. Recounting all my horror stories hasn't left you in good faith of them. I will never find excuses for, or forgive the people who put me through hell. However," he took a pause, taking a deep breath, "there are people like Gavin who, although still pretty bigoted because they’ve never gotten the chance to see the world from another angle, honestly believe what they are doing is for the best. We know it's fucked up, but he doesn’t yet.” Ryan was trying to explain the situation without making excuses for Gavin.

”Now, it'd be one thing if our kind were...employees, or something of that nature instead of slaves, but that's absolutely never going to happen. Most of us are seen as pets, and if we misbehave, we're punished, or euthanized even. Play nice, you get rewarded." The wizard had never been one for playing particularly nice, so he had never gotten to see how they lived.

"But—" Michael had to bite back his hissy remarks and made a face instead. "Alright, I understand. I'll be nicer to him." He wasn't going to stop being wary around Gavin; not at all. But he supposed he had it in him to be civil towards the human. But, then again…

“He’s the one who got pissy when I asked him real questions! I wanted to hear his side, and he didn’t listen to me!"

"Now, I know you expect him to inspire confidence in you. Prove he's not a dirty human, or what have you, but you have to do the same. That’s 25-some years of brainwashing, it's not just going to go away because you flexed your wings and yelled at him." Ryan patted Michael on the head. "Let's look for the others, I'm hungry."

Michael huffed and nodded, rather embarrassed he had to get a talking to from his elder. But at least it wasn't Geoff preaching to him this time.

Geoff and Jack showed up after not too long, with plenty of fresh veggies to put into a stew for the vegetarians. "Need me to get a fire started?" Geoff asked.

"Sure thing." Ryan got to work conjuring equipment they would need in order to cook. Well, it was more of a summons really. All their supplies were still back at their temporary hideout. A pot clanged down beside them, followed by some breakable dishes that Ray had been dexterous enough to save. Panic ensued once the knives and forks came from what looked like nowhere. Ryan looked around sheepishly. He had to admit: summoning was not his strong suit.

"Watch out, Sir Knives-a-lot is out for blood," Michael shouted from several feet away, laughing at his own joke.

They all had a good laugh, and Geoff got a fire going, putting the pot over it to start simmering a stew. "No meat in this one," he said, pointing to the pot. "This one is for me and Jack, we'll make a second pot for the meat."

Jack picked up a knife and started slicing into the vegetables they'd managed to rustle up. He stopped after a couple of minutes, looking around and doing a headcount. "Hey, we're short one... Where's the human? Where the fuck is Gavin?"

"He went off somewhere, I don't know," Michael huffed, crossing his arms. "Serves the bastard right, he's a downright prick."

"That doesn't mean he deserves to get torn apart in the wildlands. That's harsh even for you, Michael," Geoff added.

Jack sighed, "Christ… Well, this is great. Who's gonna be on team rescue the human, and who's gonna stay here and be on team domestic?"

"I'll be on team domestic," Michael volunteered fairly quickly. Geoff promptly went invisible. If they didn't see his vote then they couldn't see which way he went.

"I'll go," Ryan volunteered. He still had a slight soft spot for the boy he used to read bedtime stories for. Hearing the screams as he was torn apart would be saddening.

"I'll stay." Jack folded his exhausted legs under him. He'd done enough of running around for the human's sake.

Ray shifted to his owl form and hopped into the air. "I'll get a bird's eye view," he offered, sailing into the air. He glided around for a bit before seeing Gavin sitting under a rock and motioned down to Ryan to follow. He landed beside Gavin, hooting beside him.

Gavin was throwing rocks at nothing in particular, getting his sulk on. "That you, Ray? Or have I finally gone mental?" He looked into the distance and could see Ryan slowly making his way over the hills.

"Yes, it's me," Ray huffed, shifting to his cat form and invading Gavin's lap. His tail flicked as he stared up at the human. "You'll get torn to shreds if you stay out here alone."

"I'd be fine." He had his gun and…not much else really. Okay, so he probably would get his ass ripped in two, but he also wasn't keen on staying where he clearly wasn't welcome.

"Why don't you come back and have a meal with us, hunh?" Ray huffed, tickling Gavin's nose with his tail. "We're about to make some stew. Michael's promised not to pitch a hissy fit at you again."

Now Gavin felt like little more than a punk bitch, a toddler that ran off crying because his classmate pushed him on the playground. He pushed Ray's tail out of his face before standing up with him in his arms. "Alright, yeah," he started walking towards Ryan, "let's go."

Ray scrambled out of Gavin's grasp, huffing. "I told you, I'm not a picking up cat." Instead he jumped up onto Ryan's shoulder, sitting patiently.

"By no one except Ryan that is." Gavin gave him a smug, shit-eating grin as they walked. "Hey, Ray, were you born like a human? Like what are familiars born as? Is your human face your real face?" And such the barrage of stupid continued until they returned.

Ray couldn't even figure out how to tell Gavin how rude and inappropriate those questions were. He tried to ignore them. "For your information, I wasn't born a familiar, I was born a _shifter_ , and then I _became_ a familiar."

"How do you become a familiar? Like…what would make you want to serve someone the rest of your life?" Gavin wasn't picking up on how rude it was. He was genuinely curious about it.

"I'm allowed to leave any time I want. Ryan's not so cruel to keep me caged up my entire life. I _choose_ to be with him." Of course, that was a thinly veiled jab at humans. "He cares for me emotionally and I help him with his magic and bring him companionship."

"So it's like…a sort of marriage between magical creatures?"

"I wouldn't call us creatures, and it’s more like a committed friendship with benefits…that sounded better in my head, but you know what I mean." Ryan interjected, stroking Ray's head to help calm the boy's irritation. "Sometimes there are circumstances that bring people together. Results may vary."

"It's a mutually beneficial friendship," Ray put the words together, leaning into Ryan's hand. "I can ask to get out of it at any point, I just choose not too." Choice was the huge variable in their familiar/master relationship, and it made Ray not want to leave more than anything. By being given the choice, it reassured him that he was in the right relationship for himself and Ryan.

"That sounds…really…" Gay. Like, really fucking gay. Gavin was pretty sure that they were secretly boning when no one was looking. "Yeah, I'm not going to ask anymore questions about that." Well, not at the moment.

Ray didn't like the sound of that, but he perched atop Ryan's shoulder, their camp coming into view. Just in time, too, he could hear the wolves howling. Gavin wouldn't have lasted long. "Look who we brought back," he meowed, jumping from Ryan's shoulder.

"Congratulations, welcome back." Jack tossed back over his shoulder as he gave the soup a final stir before pulling it off the fire.

Gavin plunked himself down on the floor, stomach growling at the smell of food. "Wow, that looks good."

Geoff nodded and dished up everyone who wanted a bowl. He and Jack had already taken their share, then plopped the meat in for anyone who wasn't a vegetarian. "There we go. Is everyone satisfied?" Many noises of approval were heard.

"You did a good job catchin that thing, Michael. Bloody delicious." Gavin complimented through an overly full mouth. He nudged the dragon with an elbow, trying to put a smile on his face.

If there was one way to get to a dragon's heart it was through flattery. His ear fins perked up a little and his chest puffed up. "Well, I was pretty proud of the kill strike, you know... Just an average day for me."

Gavin nodded, going back to the food. Ryan watched him out of the corner of his eye; seeing that he and Michael had shared a positive moment that didn't take a turn was improvement. He could still see a bit of distrust in Jack, but also that the centaur was warming up to him.

"Anyone have any cheerful stories?" Geoff asked, trying to make light conversation. Of course, the word cheerful was being used loosely.

"I'm more curious how you all met. Doesn't seem like you'd grow up in the same circle." Not one duplicate of a species. Highly unusual, in Gavin's mind.

"Oh, I met these guys the old fashioned way. Being fugitives really does that to you." Geoff ruffled Ryan's hair. "It's really this one that brought us all together. He tried to make a little community where magic folks could be safe."

"Yeah, and instead he wound up with you assholes," Ray snorted.

"No, no, no, no, I want to hear the real stories. I'm _really_ curious where you all come from." After Ryan was no longer permitted to read him stories, though Gavin didn't remember this, he was no longer allowed near the magical creatures. People were afraid he'd be too soft, that he'd start something problematic. He never got to hear what life was like for them. At least, not from their mouths.

"I was with Ryan from the start," Ray meowed, swiping his whiskers clean of stew. "That was before he started taking people in. He found me after he escaped from the compound. I was alone and couldn't fend for myself yet because my parents had been killed. He took me with him, cleaned me up and he proposed I be his familiar for protection."

"You were so tiny back then." Ryan chuckled, remembering those sad circumstances with a touch of fondness. "Skinny as a rail and sickly to boot, but I'd like to think you turned out alright." Ryan turned to face the centaur. "And then the bearded wonder came in, almost shooting me through the head.

Jack chuckled, "Yeah, well, you scared the shit out of me, man. Thought a couple of humans had me cornered. Plus you set my god damn home on fire."

“It was an accident!” Ryan protested through a smile.

"Bullshit!"

Geoff hummed, thinking about their first encounter. "I had been stealing food from you guys for weeks before the three of you chased me down." Geoff elbowed Jack playfully. "Thought I'd hit the jackpot, and thought I'd never get caught. Glad I did."

“Ryan found me dying in a ditch somewhere after I tried to eat Ray,” Michael huffed, not very fond of the memory. “Tore my wing.” He flexed his left wing out, pointing to the long scar. “Ryan healed me up, gave me some food, asked if I wanted to stay."

Gavin's brow raised as he heard their paraphrased stories. What they said sounded rough, like he had no right to compare his life to theirs.

"And that's the very basic gist of things. Satisfied, Gavin?" Ryan went back to his food after receiving a nod from the young man.

After their meals, Ray and Michael were curling up with one another to get some sleep. Ray was curled up on top of Michael's back, the dragon's wing shifting over him protectively. Geoff was making himself comfortable against Jack's flank, pulling out his panpipes and blowing a few soothing notes into it.

Gavin shivered a bit on the cold ground, tossing and turning as he tried to rest. He gave up and went over to Michael who was like a personal heater. He slowly, gently, curled up next to him for warmth.

Michael grunted, but didn't wake. Ray had already hopped off and gone to sleep with Ryan, curled up in the crook of his arm as the embers of the fire slowly died away.


	5. Win Some, Lose Some

Jack and Ryan were up early the next morning, packing up everything to move on. They strapped a few things across Jack's equine back, but not so much it unfairly burdened him. The others were slow to rise, Gavin being last as usual.

Michael grabbed the human by the shoulders. "Hey. Hey, Gavin. Wake up. You missed breakfast." They'd already packed everything up and eaten his share, there was no fixing that.

Gavin frowned, looking down at his rumbling belly, "Aww…" he moaned and griped until they left the alcove. Jack fell back in their little procession to speak with Gavin.

"When do you think you'll leave the group? You said you wanted to go your own way, right?"

Gavin looked around, confused, “Am I not welcome here?”

Geoff materialized on Jack's back. "It's not that you're not welcome, it's that you just needed directions to the next town, right?"

"Well, yeah...I did... But what if the next town is just like the compound where I grew up? Nothing interesting ever happened in my hometown. I think it'd be more interesting to stay with you lot." Gavin scuffed his feet a little as he made his request.

"Well, you're going to have to pull some more weight then." Geoff unhooked one of the bags on Jack's back and tossed it down to Gavin. "We were going easy on you because we figured you'd be leaving soon. Chop, chop."

Gavin grunted at the initial weight of it before slinging it over his shoulder. "That's heavy, innit?"

"Yeah, tell me about it." Jack mumbled as he shifted from one hoof to the other.

"It's a good thing I weigh nothing, eh?" Geoff laughed as he hopped up, jumping on Jack's shoulders. Being a fairy had some perks. Not only did he look intimidating, being a big man and all, but he didn't weigh a pound.

"Yeah, why do you have to project yourself as being so big. Makes you look heavier than you are." Jack griped as their little caravan started moving on.

"Because I _like_ looking like this." Full of tattoos and a big bushy mustache; it made people think twice about messing with him. Of course, that was when he bothered to even become visible to them. Half the time around strangers he just didn't let them see him at all. "Imagine if you had any choice to form yourself, what would you pick? Exactly, you'd pick whatever you want."

"Alright, alright, I know." Jack didn't say anything more in the subject. In fact, no one said much of anything as they walked. Gavin even bit his tongue as he tried not to ask too many questions.

Michael made a motion down to a quarry. "Fresh water down there, we can take a bath." God knows he'd been taking dirt baths for days; he needed one.

Everyone started hurrying, Jack crying out that they should probably refill their water slings, have a drink before taking a dip and dirtying it. Hopefully it was a stream or river and they could just stay upstream while the others bathed.

Michael didn't heed the warnings, cheering as he jumped into the air and took a dive bomb into the water. "Mother _fuck_ that feels good!"

Gavin stripped off most his clothes, all except his boxers and jumped in after Michael. When he broke the surface, he gasped at the initial shock of cold. "What are you waiting for? Get in!"

"Shark dragon!" Michael howled as he dove underwater again and nipped at Gavin's ankles, swirling around him and hiking one wing up above the water to look like a shark fin.

Gavin jumped, screeching at the feeling of sharp teeth at his ankles. He awkwardly floundered through the water, trying to run away from the much faster Michael.

Jack slowly waded in, his tail trailing behind him in the water. "Shit, that feels nice.”

Michael laughed and pointed at his victim, only to dive right back down, his wing playing the part of the shark fin. Bubbles and little noises could be heard, as if he were singing a tune under water. Geoff made sure he went invisible just long enough to toss Michael onto land in one fell swoop.

"Fish out of water!" he crowed, flexing.

Ryan laughed at their antics as he also started to undress. "Man, this'll feel good." He pried off his boots before letting his hooded cape fall from his shoulders, scars and tattoo in plain sight around his neck and wrists. He pulled off his shirt before heading to the water.

Ray sat up on one of the rocks, until he was unceremoniously flung into the water by Michael. "Catfish!" He dove in right after Ray, cackling as the poor shifter shrieked and hissed, scrambling to get out of the water.

Ryan swam over to Ray and picked him up from the water, carrying him to shore. "Sure you don't wanna join us? Though maybe as a human and not as a cat.”

Gavin and Michael were wrestling against each other, splashing around in the water. They were grabbing each other, writhing in the water as they each struggled to be on top.

Ray shook himself off, all the way down to his tail. "I'm fine. There goes my plan for a bath..." The good part about being a cat fifty percent of the time was he never had to get in the water. He wasn't _afraid_ of open water. He just didn't like it.

Michael grabbed Gavin around the middle and flapped his wings until he was hoisting him in the air, cheering. "Point!" He promptly dropped Gavin back into the water.

Gavin screeched, flailing as he fell towards the water. At the last moment he straightened his body, somehow managing to hit the water feet first. He emerged a moment later, shaking his hair free of water. "Bwah!" He exclaimed, looking around for the offender. "Michael, why?"

Michael plunged into the water beside him. "Human basketball. I figured you'd like it. Except we don't have hoops and we're surrounded by water. Drowning you. I was trying to drown you." He wasn't, really, he was completely joking.

"Why? Why would you do that?" Gavin couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face, even though he did feel mildly threatened. "I'll get you for that!" He pounced Michael, clinging to his back. He twisted and turned, trying to get them both to go under.

Michael laughed and squawked as he floundered, wings expanding and knocking Gavin off. "Hahah, natural defense! Bet you wish you had these puppies!"

"Catfish!" Ray bombed as he jumped right on top of Michael in human form. He'd seen the fun and decided he would join in anyway.

Ryan was lazily swimming, letting himself float slowly down the river. He kept an eye on the others as he floated by, happy to just be relaxing in the cool water. He watched as Jack rolled his equine half, fully soaking himself. Ryan let out a giggle as Jack flopped and splashed beneath the surface when he accidentally flipped himself.

"Want to be my seahorse?" Geoff teased as he appeared on Jack's back once the centaur had righted himself, crossing his legs. He was loving going under water while invisible and fucking with everyone. Of course, as the only one who _could_ turn invisible they always knew it was him.

"Ah! Oh no!” Jack slipped, falling into the water again. “Ahh! Get off me, asshole." Jack floundered as he struggled to stand. The rocks of the riverbed kept moving under his hoofs, making it very difficult for the centaur to get back up. Of course, Geoff wasn't helping. Eventually he made it back on all four feet, plodding towards the shore and out of the water. "Enough of that,  _shit_..."

Geoff laughed and hopped off, ducking into the water. He swam right under Gavin and grabbed him by the ankles, yanking him under water before freeing him.

Ryan snorted as everyone picked on Gavin. Suddenly a slightly evil thought popped into his mind. He waggled his fingers, conjuring some wriggly looking shapes beneath the surface over by the unsuspecting victims.

Michael was the first to scream as he flailed, Ray in his arms. Geoff was cackling beneath the water, getting in on Ryan's plan. He waited until the harmless shadows came up close to Michael before he grabbed him by the ankles and yanked him under water- effectively yanking Ray down with him.

Gavin screamed like a banshee as the shapes wriggled and writhed. There was a moment when he was transported back to when he was maybe 5 years old or so and the spooky shadows he'd seen in the halls. No one had believed him, but he had been afraid of that hallway for the following decade. He squinted his eyes and shook his head before remembering the danger of the weird squiggly things and booking it out of the water.

Geoff was laughing as Michael and Ray coughed up water, pointing at the poor duo. "Never again shall the beastly shark dragon terrorize these waters, for a new horror emerges!" Geoff leapt out of the water, the shadows following him. He and Ryan were really on point with one another.

"Ryan! Geoff!" Gavin cried from the shore in mild offense. When he saw just how Michael and Ray were scrambling he burst out laughing from the comfortable safety of the shore. "You _lunatics!"_

Geoff fell back into the water, laughing as Ray clung desperately to Michael in his cat form. "Now the mighty beast has the waters all to himself!"

"Go fuck yourself, mighty beast!" Michael squawked from land as Ray shook himself off.

Ryan was still giggling quietly as he pulled himself out of the water. He summoned a towel that almost landed in the river. He went over to Ray and picked him up, drying Ray's fur as his way of making amends.

Ray shook himself off and gladly welcomed the dry and Ryan's comfort. Of course, that didn't mean everything was okay, and he would make faces at him when he wasn't looking for a couple nights. Michael was the vocal one about it.

"Not fair, you and your shitty magic."

"I'm sorry, Michael. Here, let me help you dry off." Ryan swiped his hand and summoned a gust of wind. Ryan instantly regretted it as he and everyone else started shivering in his own gust. "Alright, didn't think that one through…"

The gang gathered up some drinking and cooking water before making a temporary camp to make a late lunch. They were trying to decide if they wanted to keep moving or stay here for the night.

Michael huddled up against Gavin for warmth, huffing childishly as he wiggled, trying to get comfortable. "Are we staying here for the night or are we moving?" He didn't like being so exposed.

"While its nice to have fresh water nearby, there's a lot of danger that comes with that." Jack explained, "On the other hand, we don't know when we'll find safer shelter. This isn't ideal, it’s better than some.” There were mutters of both agreement and doubt amongst the group.

"We should try to at least get some cover," Geoff offered, pointing over towards some trees. "Under there. It'll hide us under the leaves."

Ryan looked where Geoff was pointing, evaluating the spot. "Looks good to me. We can move all our shit there when we're done eating." Ryan slurped down some more of their soup. They should also set out some meat to dry. Made better provisions and it tended to last longer.

Ray was nibbling on some vegetables, still in bunny form and glanced over towards the tree. "Feels eerie over there. You sure we should be poking around? We've never been this far in the mountains."

"Is this like…one of your 'I have slight doubts' kind of eerie or 'we absolutely shouldn't do that' eerie feeling you've got, Ray?" Ryan always took into account what Ray had to say in regards to these things. He seemed to have a sixth sense about it. "I can set up a magic trap. Alert us when someone walks through my web."

"I don't think we _absolutely_ shouldn't do that..." Ray looked warily over at the tree. "But I don't want to go near there, and it's a bad idea."

"Christ, your bunny ass is afraid of its own shadow; there's nothing wrong with that," Michael huffed, motioning over to the tree. "It's a _tree_."

"I dunno Michael, you were afraid of a couple of shadows earlier."

"Shut up, Ryan!"

"Well, you did scream more than Ray..." Ryan chuckled a bit, "We'll check it out. It looks fine to me, but who knows."

"We don't really have any other choices. With our current light we'll only get maybe two more miles before dark. I'd prefer some more solid walls, but no other complaints here." Jack scooped up the last few drops of soup, pleased to have a full stomach once more.

Geoff was staring at the tree now, as if studying it. He picked up Ray and scratched behind his little fluffy ears, trying to suss out what exactly made the tree so menacing.

"I'll go check it out." Gavin stood up, stretching a bit. He'd finished his food long before everyone else. "I'm not afraid of some damn trees." He picked his pants up from where they were laying out to dry and slipped them on.

"Be careful," Michael snapped, making a face. "You know what, I'm coming with you. I don't trust your human ass not to get eaten."

"Thank you, Michael." Gavin returned in such a tone that it was impossible to tell if he was sincere or not. Either way, Gavin definitely didn't mind the company.

Michael did notice some bad vibes coming from the tree, but tried not to let it show. He peered around, standing beside the trunk. "Seems like a normal tree to me..."

"I don't know what Ray was on about. Bloody losing their minds, the lot of them."  He walked towards the outcrop, yet to see anything suspicious. There was an odd smell, however.

Michael turned around, as if he were trying to find something. "I don't know; this is starting to feel weird. Like I'm walking through spider webs or something." There were no giant spiders up _this_ far in the mountains...

"It's like we're being watched…" Creepy. Gavin looked around, startled when he saw a shimmer. "Woah! Michael, did you see that?" He backed up a bit, unsure if he wanted to get close to it or not.

"Sure as fuck did!" Michael yelped and jumped back, wings fluffing up to make himself look bigger.

"Leeeeave thiiiiis plaaaaace!" a ghostly voice moaned, rather dramatically. It was more comical than anything.

Gavin snorted a laugh, "What in the hell?" No longer afraid of the presence, the human approached the area, trying to see if he could see the shimmer again.

"Stay back!" the voice went shrill, and suddenly the glamour disappeared as Gavin came too close, leaving a flattering lady in the shade of the tree, her face budding red as she had been caught.

"I think we just found a witch, Michael." Gavin murmured out the side of his mouth. He wasn't particularly quiet about it, but he wasn't used to having to be subtle around or in regards to magical creatures. "Should we get Ryan?"

Michael was struck for a moment as he saw her, a sudden tug coming over him. He shook it off. "Stay here." He flew over to Ryan, motioning. "We found one of yours."

"One of mine? One of my what?" His brow furrowed before he started to make his way over to the outcrop. He saw Gavin standing awkwardly, making conversation that he couldn't hear. "Who's he talking to..?"

"Witch," Michael said, glancing back over to the witch. She looked flustered and was trying to either put her glamour back up or subtly duck away from Gavin. One of the two.

"Hey!" Ryan called out, waving to the witch. "It's alright, no need to be afraid." He let wisps of magic float of from his hand, forming into butterflies and fluttering away before disappearing into the wind. He'd learned early on that peaceable looking magic was considerably more reassuring to other folk of magic than anything. "We're kin, you and I."

The witch still looked uncomfortable, but shifted towards Ryan. "I'm Lindsay. Who are you?" She seemed more comfortable around Ryan than around Gavin; understandable for most magic folk.

"My name's Ryan. It's nice to meet you Lindsay." He took a look around, not seeing any signs of other life. "How long have you been out here? You alone?"

"I have friends, but they've all moved on." Lindsay side-eyed Gavin, as if to say 'because of people like him.' She shifted away from Gavin again and peeked over at Michael. "That your familiar?"

Michael puffed up. "Hey!"

"Nah, my familiar's a shifter. He's…he _should_ be around here somewhere…" Ryan twisted his mouth and furrowed his brow as he turned to look for his familiar. "Weird, he's not one to disappear…" He looked up at the sky just in case.

Lindsay still seemed fixated on Michael, but turned her attention back to Ryan. "So I see you've got your own little posse right there... Pretty far up in the mountains, hunh?"

"Oh yeah, we were gonna head out after refilling our water and cooling off a bit." He paused before turning back to her. "Why don't you come with us? You know, more the merrier. Plus there've been a lot of scouts lately. It's safer to stay in a group."

"Well, I guess I could, you know, if you're really desperate." Lindsay shrugged it off, but they all could tell she wanted to. "Why don't you guys spend the night under here?" Lindsay picked away at a glamour, where a tiny little tent was hidden. "Not much, but there's room for 7."

Ryan nodded before turning and whistling for Ray. Not his favorite way of getting the young man's attention, but he knew Ray would be able to hear it. Even outside their magical connection or range of sight. "Thanks for loaning us your shelter. In exchange, I can teach you some better wards."

Ray trotted up behind Ryan, with the others in tow. "Who's this?" he meowed, jumping up into the hood of Ryan's cloak, making himself comfortable.

Lindsay cleared her throat and motioned for everyone to get in. "Not gonna stay light all day, kids."

The crew slowly filed in, taking extra care not to knock anything in Lindsay's little camp over. She had quite the complex setup for someone who didn't seem horribly advanced with magic. She seemed the kind of girl that spent most her life alone, no one to really teach her, as most were nowadays.

"Don't touch anything! A lot of this stuff is hexed," she said, clearing things away and having to use levitation to move certain things that...didn't necessarily give off good vibes.

Ryan looked concerned, "Jesus, what the hell are you doing with hexes?" Now he was all for a playful hex on someone he didn't like. Or a close friend who understood the comedic genius behind a well-placed hex, but to live amongst them? You had to be extraordinarily careful.

"I'd be more worried about Jack, what with his massive undercarriage." In Gavin's mind, Jack and his equine lower half were the most likely candidates for causing a right mess.

“I got this." Lindsay shoved everything that was hexed into one corner, looking triumphant. "I kept trying to do just regular spells but they always ended up as hexes, don't know why." She'd obviously never had anyone around to help her.

Ryan sighed, pushing back a bit of hair from his eyes. "Yeah, I think my teaching you a few things will be less of a favor to you than a favor to us." He went over to the hexed corner, feeling the energy around it before putting up a protective barrier. "There. Now _no one_ can touch the hexed stuff." He made a pointed look at Gavin, who seemed too nosey for his own good. No pun intended.

"They're not _that_ bad!" Lindsay scoffed, until she heard a blind roar come from one of the items that had been locked away. "Except that one."

"You have got to be kidding me," Geoff said, crossing his arms. "Maybe you should stay with us, before you kill someone."

"Christ! What do you get up to?" Gavin stumbled away from the roaring object, backing up into Michael. "Jesus, Michael, she's going to get us killed." Why was Ryan so quick to trust her?

"Shut up, Gavin." Michael prickled up, though he wasn't quite sure why. "Magical folk trust each other. Besides, Ryan knows what he's doing." Hopefully he would help her get a lid on that magic.

"Here we go..." Lindsay set up a few spaces for everyone, grabbing all the blankets she had. "Sorry I can't make a dragon nest, but I bet you've got plenty of people to keep you warm."

"Thanks, we appreciate it." Jack thanked for the lot of them. He draped one blanket over his lower half before settling by a wall for his human half to rest against. Ryan settled nearest the hexed objects, just in case his assistance was needed.

Michael settled in one corner, watching Lindsay as Ray hobbled over beside Ryan and curled up in his lap as a bun. Geoff took his usual spot beside Jack, laying beside him.

Gavin decided that he was going to sleep next to Michael again. The dragon puffed smoke on him in his sleep, but he was nice and warm. Everyone was quick to sleep, exhausted from a long day of hiking and then swimming in the river.

\--

In the morning Lindsay was the first awake, struggling to find something to feed her guests, and hopefully new companions. Her little hidey hole was cluttered and full of too many things, stolen from passersby or guards, but there was little food.

Jack awoke shortly after, letting out a long yawn before pulling himself to his feet with only some struggle. "Morning. Oh, I'm Jack by the way. We probably should've taken time to introduce ourselves before crashing at your place." He extended a cordial hand for her to take.

"All good. I'm Lindsay, nice to officially meet you." She had a peculiar way of stressing her words, though it wasn't harsh. She shook his hand and winked, then finally managed to find her basket of veggies. "Any one of you guys veggies?" She already knew the fae was vegetarian-they all were-but sometimes centaurs were tricky.

"Me and," Jack turned to point at the man with the enviable mustache, "Geoff over there are both vegetarian. If you eat meat, we have some dried mountain goat meat, I'm sure the guys wouldn't mind sharing."

"I can take it or leave it," Lindsay said as she nodded. "Let's make a salad, how about that for you guys? If they want somethin' else they can make it themselves." She had a feeling that they were sick of soup.

"Sounds good. I'll help cut stuff up." Jack took the knife and bowl Lindsay handed him and got to work. It wasn't much of a salad, but the wild asparagus was a nice addition.

Slowly but surely, the rest of the gang started to wake. Everyone was more than ready for the morning meal.

Michael awoke with a grunt, slowly uncurling around Gavin as he looked up, finding a couple people moving around. He perked up when he smelled the meat being brought out. "Morning," he rasped, shoving Gavin off.

Gavin grunted when he was shoved off. He blinked his eyes open before hopping to his feet. He stretched and looked around. Wow, same food as the last few days? Exciting. "Maybe we should head for a town. You know? Purchase some provisions." Of course, Gavin would be the only one able to do that.

They all stared at him like he was crazy.

"I don't know about you," Geoff said, motioning to the rest of them. "But I think only about three of us actually pass for human." He never counted himself. Only fae had tattoos, and sometimes other magical folk. While once perceived as an art form, fae tattoos were banned amongst humans.

"Nah, we could do it. We'd just need some of Ryan's magic cloaking." The more hands the better. Gavin didn't see how this could ever possibly go wrong if they just made a plan stuck to it, and didn't let anything bad happen.

"You'd have to be mad to think we'd just strut into town and not expect to get noticed. I mean, it's one thing to cloak stationary objects, but to do that for a group of people is incredibly difficult." Ryan tried to explain best he could.

"Better get ready, seabiscuit, you're going to be a full blown horse," Geoff said, patting Jack's flank, looking up at him as if he were losing a long lost friend and gaining a pet.

"How the hell are you exactly going to cloak _me?_ " Michael snorted, crossing his scaly arms. He wasn't quite exactly subtle. His face was covered in red scales, his reptilian eyes, ear fins, wings.

"No, no, you're not listening." Ryan tried to emphasize once more just how impractical this was. "It's hard enough to cloak one person, but I'm not certain I can cloak all of you successfully for a particularly long period of time. I may have magic, but that doesn't mean my abilities are limitless. Need I remind you I was a hair's breadth away from being comatose a couple days ago? We don't need me passing out in the middle of a crowded market area only for your cloaks to disappear and reveal you to the world."

“Well, we need food, Ryan. We have to try something…” Jack reasoned.

"Are you forgetting I can turn invisible?" Geoff laughed, disappearing before their very eyes. "Me, Ray and the human can go into town, I'll steal some food and water, we'll be on our way.

"Oy, I've got a name!"

"If you're sure those are all the hands we'll need. But, I mean, it'll be pretty fuckin suspicious if a crate of apples just sort of floats away, wouldn't it?" Jack retorted, chuckling at the mental image.

"You don't steal from the same vendor," Geoff snorts. "It's more than one trip. I've done this loads of times. Okay, what happens is I'll take a bag, bring a couple people with me who can pass as humans, or an actual human at this rate, they distract the vendor, I duck behind and swipe stuff off the top. Then, I hide it under some of my clothes so that the sack will go invisible with me. We go a couple streets away, I hand the sack off, there, we've got a sack."

"Sounds good to me." Gavin concurred, nodding to himself.

Ryan and Jack let out a simultaneous sigh. They were definitely the more cautious of the group, neither wanting any contact with any humans _ever._ Yet food was going to get scarce unless they stocked up before heading over and through the craggily mountains.

"I guess I can go fishing," Michael grunted, looking to Lindsay who was sitting and watching the rest of them, looking curiously as they went on. "Might as well find some shit to do around here."

"Good! Okay, I'm taking Ray and Gavin," Geoff said, promptly snatching the rabbit out of Ryan's hood, only for him to shift into a very heavy and very annoyed human.

"Put me down."

Ryan went over to Ray, taking his face in his hands and looking at him dead on. "Now listen, I won't be there, and this town is a good distance away. Even if you feel anxious, or threatened, you _cannot_ shift. I can protect you from a lot of things, but… Just be careful, alright?"

Ray squirmed and nodded. "I'll try not to." Worse come to worst, he would shift to his owl form and fly off. As far as he could go. He panicked, realizing that Ryan _would_ be too far away. "You're not even going to walk us there?"

Geoff sensed Ray's distrss and put a hand on his shoulder. "If you start feeling uncomfortable we'll have you privately shift to something and you can hide in my cloak."

"This cloak, these scars, the tattoo... I'm like a beacon. Sorry, Ray, but…" Ryan ran a hand through his hair as he thought about what to do. "I'll stay with you guys until the town's in sight. Jack, Michael, see what you can scrounge up around here." Considering those two stuck out more than anyone else.

Geoff started them off on the journey, making sure everyone got to say goodbye. He peeked over a hill and nodded to Gavin. "Didn't you need directions to the nearest town?" he laughed, motioning to the little village. "Time to go rob some vendors."

"Yeah, well, I would've found it anyway." Gavin excused, not looking directly at Geoff.

For the time being, Ryan was carrying a feline Ray, who was refusing to walk on his own until absolutely necessary.

Ray clung to his master, not wanting to leave his side until he had to be pried off. Geoff did exactly that, forcing him to shift to his human form. "What I'm going to do," Geoff said as he held up the sack, "is be invisible. You two are going to distract a vendor, alright? We'll go down, scope out the vendors, pick one, then strike."

"Good luck. I'll be waiting for you guys around here." Ryan slipped off to find a hiding spot while the others began their heist.

"If there's one thing I'm good at, it's distractions." Gavin stuck his nose in the air with a bit of pride.

"Here." Geoff tugged Ray's scarf up a little. "No one's gotta see that." Ray's collar was the only thing that linked him to magic. With that hidden he looked like any old, normal, boring human. Geoff would never look that bland. Luckily he had invisibility on his hands.

"Alright, gents," Gavin grabbed the straps of his standard issue backpack, "it's time to heist!" He led the trio down the barely there dirt road, winding the path until it became gravel, and eventually a solid paved road. This was definitely a compound town. There were guards stationed at almost every road that lead from the city. Gavin nodded to the guards who didn't question his presence. They looked suspiciously at Ray, but didn't say anything as the pair were let through.

Geoff made little to no sound as he trodded behind them, though Ray was becoming more and more anxious, the further he was away from Ryan. He locked onto the first stall he saw, and luckily it actually had food on it. "Let's get that one and get out of here."

Gavin nodded before heading over to the stall on the opposite side of the street. He perused the wares, being maybe a bit obvious with how interested he pretended to be. Suddenly, he pretended to trip, grabbing any and everything on the way down and making as many pained noses as he could.

Ray had not expected such a gallant and obvious distraction. He'd thought maybe they would just try and talk to the shopkeeper. He kept an eye out on Geoff, who was already getting to work filling his bag while the shop keep was busy dealing with Gavin and upturned merchandise. Luckily, none of it looked ruined.

Gavin apologized left and right, making a big deal of how clumsy he tended to be. Most of the people whose attention he'd caught thought the poor boy had just been under the sun a bit too long. Eventually, once they realized he was okay, people began to lose interest and went back to whatever they had been doing.

Geoff was already sneaking off and Ray ducked over to meet Gavin, still nervous. "We should be going, I guess." He tugged on Gavin's shoulder, trying to look nonchalant about it. His scarf caught on a hook, unraveling as he tugged Gavin away.

The shop owner was the first to notice. He stared at the collar a moment before his eyes went wide. Suddenly, from the other side of the street, a woman started screaming about floating produce.

"Creatures! There are creatures here!" Soon everyone was looking around, scrambling about as guards made their way to the scene.

Gavin looked to Ray, giving him a nod. "Better run."

Ray felt like a deer in headlights, and shifted to his owl form, shooting off into the air and hoping none of them had guns. Geoff squawked and hoisted his bag over his shoulder as he tried to high tail it out of here. Of course something just had to go wrong. He grabbed Gavin and yanked him through the backstreets.

Gavin panicked when he saw a couple guards pull out their guns. "No!" He cried, holding up his hands. "Don't shoot! They're…" Gavin had to think quick on his toes, "they're part of an experiment! I'm Captain Free of the Northwest Alpha compound. These creatures are under my jurisdiction!" He always got a little giddy whenever he pulled rank. Granted, the position hadn't been too terribly difficult to get, but he'd still had to prove himself to a degree.

Geoff was already gone. He had left Gavin behind, for both his safety and for Gavin's. The human could survive in town, they definitely couldn't.

Several of the guards came up, guns still cocked. "Why weren't those creatures on leashes?"

"Well, they were doing just fine until everyone started yelling and pointing guns!" Gavin gave an exasperated sigh. Hopefully he wasn't playing up the entitled leader role too much. "Look, I don't have to answer any of your questions. I outrank you." He gave a cheeky little grin, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some creatures to round up." And with that, he excused himself.

The guards watched him and several stalked behind him, saying, "We'll escort you to the city limits." They stood by their word and left Gavin at the edge of town.

Ray found Gavin first, chirruping in his owl form. "We almost got caught. Do you know where Geoff is?"

Gavin looked up at Ray as he bit the inside of his cheek. "No idea." But they never really know where the guy disappeared to. "Have you found Ryan yet?"

"Yes, he's over that way." Ray motioning and flapped up to get Gavin to follow him. "I'm less worried about Geoff, more about the food." Geoff never got caught, but he wouldn't let a sack of food give him away if he could help it.

Gavin nodded, slowly following after. He looked back in the direction of the town with a sigh. He'd given his name and his rank. He just hoped no one would come searching for him. "Let's get back then."

Ray lead them to Ryan, still nervous and looking for Geoff. "Geoff isn't back yet," he blurted right to Ryan as soon as he dove into the hood of his cloak.

Ryan cradled Ray once more as they made their way back to camp, hoping Geoff was either already ahead of them or on his way there. His disappearing act could be a real pain sometimes, especially in stressful situations like this one had been.

Ray peeked up over Ryan's shoulder, staring at Gavin. "You got in trouble with the other humans, didn't you?"

"Nah, I'm good. I'm respected!" He puffed out his chest a little bit. "It'll be fine." He ran on ahead, just wanting to hurry up and get back to camp.

 _'Something's wrong.'_ Ryan thought to himself as he stroked Ray's back. He was going to have to keep an eye on the young man for the time being.

Ray didn't like it, but he just curled against Ryan with a huff. When they returned to the camp Geoff was still nowhere to be found, but Michael was hoisting up his biggest catch of the day, cheering and howling as new spectators came to see him hoisting the huge salmon out of the water.

"You should have seen the pufferfish he ate earlier," Lindsay whispered to them, "Couldn't walk straight for an hour. Dared him to eat the whole thing."

"Be glad you're not poisoned… Where the hell is Jack?" He was usually the one who quickly put an end to potentially dangerous, stupid shit like eating a poisonous fish.

Gavin ignored the conversations, heading inside Lindsay's hideaway for some space away from the magical creatures.

Ray noticed Gavin disappearing, but said nothing. Ryan had probably already seen. He hopped out and tried to tend to Michael, who admitted to still being a little woozy. "All that to impress a chick?"

"I was not trying to _impress_ her! She _dared_ me! I am honor bound to fulfill any and all dares."

"I dare you to shut up," Ray huffed, checking Michael over for any signs that the poison had done more than give him a trip.

"Well, you provided us with some great food here, guys. Suppose I'd best hold up my end of the bargain and give you a few lessons in magic 101." He looked to Lindsay, giving her one of his trademark grins. He was rather excited at the prospect of having a pupil.

"Really?" Lindsay perked up as she heard that. "Alright, let's get started. Maybe we should be somewhere else. So I don't misfire or something and hit someone."

Ray glanced over from where he was giving Michael a pat down, and suddenly got another nervous wave come over him. He was getting nervous about Geoff. "Geoff is usually back by now... Where's Jack?"

Jack had been out gathering more of that wild asparagus when he saw dust kicking up in the distance. He frantically took cover within a patch of shrubbery, watching as a truck with what looked like an empty cage rattled by. The cage was shaking, as an invisible creature with a familiar voice yelled protests from the inside.

"Ah, shit..."


	6. Open Your Eyes

"Dicks! Dicks, shit, dicks, fucking _shit_ on my _dick!"_ The invisible creature shouted. There were several guards standing around, but not particularly close.

Jack waited until they were out of sight before booking it back to camp. He had to make sure everyone else was okay.

When Ray saw Jack he popped up in his human form, running to him. "Jack, you're okay! You weren't here when we got back. We were worried; I was worried." Several others had already told him to chill out.

Jack was completely out of breath by the time he arrived, panting and heaving. "I'm...I'm fine... Geoff... They... They got Geoff..." He wheezed out. He didn't think he'd ever run that fast in his life.

Ray squawked and immediately ran to get Ryan. "Ryan! Ryan, Ryan, Ryan, they got Geoff! They got Geoff, Jack saw it!" He was just assuming, how else would he know?

Ryan looked up from where he'd been teaching Lindsay the basic principles of control, worry all over his face. He went up to Jack who was slowly walking up behind Ray. "Did you see where they took him?"

Jack pointed west, still having a hard time talking as he caught his breath.

"We have to save him," Ray panicked, beginning to shake as he thought of their poor friend locked up in a compound. Ryan had told them so many scary stories, and he didn't want Geoff to have to go through that.

Ryan wrapped his arms around Ray, trying to calm the easily panicked shifter down. He looked to Michael, an unusual expression on his face. "Where's Gavin."

Ray shifted on his feet, nervously. "I don't know, I think he went inside." Ray pointed to Lindsay's little cove.

Ryan felt a pulse of protective anger wash over him. "Michael, why don't you have a chat with our human friend. I trust you'll get some answers."

Michael was still woozy but he nodded and tottered over to the cave, looking for Gavin. "Gavin," he said, finding him and crossing his arms. "Dude, what the fuck happened? Geoff got caught!" Geoff _never_ got caught. Geoff was the only one they trusted out of them all not to get caught at all.

"Look, everything was going fine until Ray's collar got seen and a sack of spuds was caught floatin’ in midair! I mean how can you explain that without magic being involved? Look, it wasn't my fault! And I'm not going to take a scolding from a dragon on drugs!" He turned away, looking at nothing in particular. He didn't want to be bothered right then. He did what he could; it wasn't his fault!

"Dude, I'm not accusing you, I just want to know what the fuck happened. You listened to Geoff, right? I mean he's the one who knows what he's doing. Are you saying this is Ray's fault or something?" It didn't sound like it was anyone's fault. It sounded like it had gone horribly wrong.

"Yes, alright, it went _badly,_ Michael, really rather badly. And I _really_ think, we should get the hell out of here. The guards in that town know who I am, and they'll be coming for us." Granted, leaving now would mean leaving Geoff behind.

"We're not leaving Geoff," Michael snapped, face starting to go as red as his scales. "We're _not_ leaving Geoff, Ryan won't let us leave without Geoff. _You_ can leave," Michael was terrified that Gavin was thinking like that.

"Look, all I'm saying is…" Gavin stopped mid-sentence, letting his brain buffer for a moment. "You know what? Let's go get Geoff. It'll be for the better."

Michael breathed a sigh of relief as Gavin gave in. Thank god. "Alright, come on out with me. We need to talk with Ryan and get a plan going."

Ryan was talking with Jack, gently stroking the little cat that sat in his lap. The two older men looked up when Michael and Gavin approached, growing silent.

"Gavin says he wants to go find Geoff," Michael announced, trying to assert himself into the older group. He was always trying to show himself to the seniority.

"Does he now." Jack sounded doubtful, and his and Ryan's expressions only further drove the point home that they didn't trust Gavin in that moment.

"Yeah, and I want to help. Geoff is important." He was an important person to all of them and, while he could be annoying, he was still a wonderful friend. "I know you don't trust me, but I can get us in there easier than anyone else." Gavin expressed, looking to both the older men. "I promise, I can get you in there."

Ray seemed uncomfortable with the idea. He didn't want to walk right into the enemy base. He pawed at Ryan. "We need people on the outside...in case something goes wrong." Specifically Ryan.

"I won't risk Michael going in there. They'd put him under maximum security no questions asked. Jack, I think you would also be best for a speedy getaway. You stay outside as well. Lindsay, you're not obligated to join us, but if you do we’ll need you on outside offense. Ray," his voice grew sad, not wanting to have to say this, "I think you and I would be best to go in there to rescue Geoff."

"You shouldn't!" Ray was growing more and more nervous. He had a bad feeling. "What if we get stuck?" He couldn't do that to Ryan. Ryan knew the horrors of a compound; he didn't need to know them again.

"Then I'll find a way to get us out. I've been inside the compounds; I can handle it. I promise." He was trying to reassure Ray, but it didn't seem to be working.

Ray was kneading Ryan's lap in his anxiety. There was nothing about this that made him feel safe. "I'm not leaving your side." Even if they got caught, he would rather be caught _with_ Ryan than leave without him.

Ryan continued to stroke his back, running a thumb up the cat's forehead and between the soft ears. "We'll be okay, Ray. I'll protect us."

Ray was still a nervous wreck, Michael was getting more and more annoyed. "Are we going or not? We can't just leave Geoff. He's probably pissed as all fuck."

"We can't just barge in. We need a plan." He picked Ray up and cradled him against his chest. "Your father runs a compound, Gavin, you should know the basic inner workings."

"Yeah I—wait, how did you know that?"

Ryan gave him a frustrated sigh before walking off with Ray, "Forget it."

"I want to help," Lindsay said, nodding. "I may not be very good yet, but I want to help. You guys seem alright."

Michael was looking at Ryan, brow furrowed. "How _do_ you know that, Ryan?"

Ryan looked down at Ray before he started recounting that part of his life. "Long time ago, I was fairly well acquainted with his father. Not that I wanted to be, but I didn't have much choice in the matter."

Michael accepted it. He moved on. "Alright, let's get to planning. We owe it to Geoff not to fuck this up."

Gavin was the only one whose thoughts were no longer on the plan. His brain was desperately trying to figure out what Ryan was saying.

"Alright." Ryan cut in. "Quickest way to Geoff is to pose as new captures. Only thing is: it'll be hard to get out. Unless human boy wonder here outfits us with some faulty collars that'll still let us use our abilities when the time is right."

"What do they look like?" Michael asked, wondering if they could manufacture some. "If we can maybe make some fake ones we could try and get in and find Geoff." No doubt they had locked him away deep. Faeries were notorious for their ability to escape things.

"They're uh, these metal contraptions, an electrified collar for your neck that's attached to matching handcuffs. A constant current runs through them in case we misbehave. They’re practically modernized medieval torture devices." The scars that circled his neck and wrists had come from one of such devices.

Michael nodded and made a face. "Think we could make something to look like those? Might be pretty complex, but I'd rather try that then anything else."

"You mean these things?" Lindsay had gone to her hut and returned with several inactive collars. "I ripped these things off some poor kids who escaped like, a year ago. Never got around to throwing them away."

Ryan visibly winced at the sight of them. Memories of pain, of torture, of having his magic practically bled from him for "the better of the country" flashing through his mind. "Yeah, those are...accurate." He waved a hand, making the lights on them appear to glow like they would if the collars were active.

Michael took one and awkwardly snapped it around his neck. He didn't anticipate it to activate completely when the little lock snapped shut. A terrible screech rang out as he was shocked, crumpling to the ground and thrashing under the pain.

Everyone instinctively took a step back except for Ryan. He got down beside Michael and hurried to deactivate the collar. "Shit! Lindsay, I thought you said they weren't active!"

"I didn't think they were!" Lindsay exclaimed, kneeling beside Michael who was curled up and whimpering. She tried unlocking them again, but couldn't seem to get the magic quite right. If anything it was making it worse for the dragon. He'd never felt that sort of pain before. Creatures like dragons were emitting constant magical energy; to cap that would be like chopping off a limb. "I've tried one on, it never did that, I swear! Maybe that was the only one that was active."

Ryan waved a hand over it, undoing the magic he'd placed upon it, but it didn't seem to do any good. He looked to Gavin, almost pleadingly.

Gavin got down beside Michael, slipping his backpack off and reaching inside. He'd never admitted it to the others, but he had some of the equipment to collar a dangerous creature, should he ever encounter one. He took out the skeleton key and began to jimmy the lock.

Michael didn't stop his painful writhing even after the collar was popped off. He was shaking and trembling, his wings over his body like a protective shield.

Lindsay had a guilty look on her face. "I had no idea, I swear..."

Ryan looked long and hard at Gavin, "See that? …That's not even the _beginning_ of the pain and suffering we go through." He took the collars into Lindsay's tent to properly deactivate them this time.

Lindsay and Ray took the time to properly treat Michael's wounds. There was a bright red mark in the shape of the collar on his throat. Michael was shaking under their careful touch. Ray looked up at Gavin, as if asking him how humans could make something so terrible.

Gavin had a vivid memory from his childhood when he'd grabbed hold of a faulty collar and gotten a nasty shock on his hand. It had been enough for his hand to feel tingly and it sure as hell stung, but it was nothing like with Michael. "The more magic that's put out, the stronger the shock is. It's to subdue someone that's using enough magical power to kill us."

"Dragons can't stop their magic," Ray mumbled under his breath, turning his attention back to Michael. "Dragons can't control it like me and Ryan and Lindsay can."

Gavin made no further comment. He didn't know the mechanics of the collars in incredible detail. He hadn't ever known about dragons and their inability to deactivate their magic, nor did he know how a compound would handle a dragon. All he knew were the basics, and he was beginning to think that that was by design. "I think I'll help Ryan." He turned and hurried back inside Lindsay's home.

Ray watched him and decided he would leave Michael in Lindsay's (hopefully) capable hands and scamper off to help Ryan as well. He jumped up into the hood of his coat, meowing in his ear.

Ryan nuzzled Ray with his cheek, acknowledging his presence, but not wanting to take his hands off the device. The horror stories he'd been told as a child about the collars being rigged to explode should you ever tamper with it stuck like a hot brand to his brain. He was carefully examining the device and very slowly taking it apart.

Ray didn't know what to say to his master beyond wondering how much the collars hurt. He didn't want to find out, and he didn't want to bring up potentially traumatic experiences. "How can humans think this is alright?"

"Most don't know. The only ones who really do are the sick fucks on direct guard duty. Get a kick out of watching us squirm." His voice was slow, calculated as he pried off the tiny control panel.

Ray's ears lay flat against his head. "If they caught Michael they would make him wear that? Even if it hurt him constantly?" Michael's magic was something constant and mystical about him, like all dragons. It was what made him appear so human, it was what made him appear so _inhuman_. It was a part of who he was, and unlike other magic folks he couldn't reel it in.

Ryan looked at Gavin, jerking his head for him to get out before speaking one on one with Ray. "I'm not sure. There are several species that are unable to cap their magic. I never saw any creatures like Michael during my time, but I'd like to think they have specialized methods to avoid that level of brutality."

"I hope so." Ray looked outside, where he could see that Lindsay was still soothing Michael. "I mean, if they're forced into those compounds, I just...hope they don’t have to go through what Michael just did. Do you think that’s why dragons are so sparse now?"

"Dragons are scarce because they have always been rare and now, more than ever, they're hunted mercilessly by compounds. A dragon must be like a godsend: keeps producing power no matter what." Ryan sneered distastefully. He absolutely couldn't let Michael get caught.

Ray glanced back over at Michael. "I hope Michael doesn't ever get caught." The idea of his friend, their friend, someone they treasured, being used to power a human city or town with no rest just made him sick. And then he thought of Geoff. "And that's what they're doing to Geoff, right...?" Faeries were like that too: they emitted a constant stream of magic, since every moment, unless invisible, they were using their magic to project themselves into a body.

Ryan put the contraption down and covered his face with his hands. He was getting more and more anxious about it the more they talked. He could feel it triggering him. "I honestly don't know Ray. There's a whole hierarchy to how they categorize us, and how to best organize us to use our powers effectively. I don't completely understand it, and I don't really want to."

"Sorry." Ray didn't bring it up again. He just tried to bring his master some comfort and attention without seeming annoying. He tried not to think about the danger ahead.

Ryan finished disarming and deactivating the collars, sighing deeply with relief that he'd managed to pull it off. "Alright... Time to go, Ray."

Ray hopped down onto the ground, shifting to his human form. He pulled his scarf up, trying to hide his familiar collar. "I'm nervous, but we need to get Geoff back."

Ryan nodded before reaching up and gently running a thumb over the little gold piece that hung from the collar. He reached around behind Ray's neck to the magic fastening. "I'm sorry, Ray. It'll need to come off for the time being."

Ray couldn't fathom how uncomfortable he was feeling. It felt like a part of him was being disconnected, but he nodded and let Ryan do what he had to. He felt naked.

Ryan pocketed it in one of his secret pockets, keeping it close to him. He was not eager to do this, but he needed to save Geoff, who was undoubtedly already getting hooked up to whatever horrific devices they had waiting for him. Ryan stepped from the tent, devices in hand. He handed one to Ray, who would be led alongside him by Gavin into the compound. He brought his own device to his neck, hands shaking with anxiety as awful memories were triggered by the feeling of cold metal on his scars. His heart felt like it would give out when the collar clicked into place.

Ray watched Ryan put his own before he followed suit, snapping it over his neck with hurried fingers. He was anxious and he couldn't shake the feeling that this was all going to go terribly, horribly wrong. He looked to Gavin. "We're ready."

Gavin already had the leashes at the ready. "Let's go then." He attached them, the collars lighting up, but still unable to function as they should. Ryan's breath was uneven as they began to walk. Jack and Lindsay got to work on their own preparations for the escape, having realized that the others didn't really seem to have a plan beyond "get inside".

Ray grabbed Ryan's hand, trying to ground him to reality. He was trying to help him stay in sight of their goal, like any firm familiar would. He wanted to make sure Ryan knew Ray was with him the whole time and while that might not cure his anxiety, he certainly hoped it would help.

Ryan looked to Ray, taking a couple deep breaths and calming down. He gulped and nodded, letting Ray know that while it was difficult, he'd be okay. The two of them walked like that a good ways until the compound came into sight. "Northwest Beta. We're here." Gavin announced.

There were several men coming out to inspect them, but eventually they were waved in. One man motioned for Gavin to follow them. "We've got your other one locked up, caught it wandering. Figured you'd want it back. You taking it back to the Alpha compound?"

"Thought about it, yeah. He'd be more useful there wouldn't he? Alpha's systems are top notch. Don't think we've ever had a fairy, though. Not that I’m aware of."

The way Gavin was so casually speaking was worrying to Ryan. But perhaps this was his plan to get Geoff out. If so, why didn't he just walk in solo?

Ray was getting uncomfortable. He wanted to get Geoff and get out. He wanted to speak, but he decided against it.

"You want us to hand it over to you right now or you want to house your livestock overnight? We’re all drinking night tonight. It’d be an honor if the director’s son would join us." The guard opened up one of the big steel doors, labeled with several signs that pointed towards the cages.

"It's getting late, innit?" Gavin thought about it for a bit. "Know what? I could really go for bevs. Been forever." Gavin almost never turned down a party invite.

Bells were going off in Ray's head, but he tried to keep quiet. They weren't in real collars. They could still use magic. If they got locked up they could just escape, right? Maybe this was how they would get Geoff out.

Ryan didn't like it at all. He'd lost his last bit of trust in Gavin, and he couldn't help but glare at him behind his back. He had to keep in control. He couldn't be firing off magic here. He'd just have to wait patiently.

"Our guy will take those things," the guard said, nodding to the magic folk. "Bit short on cages, going to have to split 'em up. We'll give you the numbers so you know where they are." Two more guards came over to take the leashes, and started leading Ray in the exact opposite direction of Ryan.

Ray panicked. He shrieked and shifted to his cat form, popping right out of the collar and skidding between legs, several guards shouting.

"Shifter! It's a shifter! Get it!"

Ryan jerked after Ray, only to get yanked back and stunned with one of the guard's electric bully sticks. Ryan was roughly yanked away by three guards, their weapons at the ready should he try anything.

Gavin sighed, feigning the frustration that his 'pets' caused. "Yeah, they really don't like to be separated. It's not good that collar's faulty. Could use a new one."

The three guards were chasing Ray all over the compound. Once they would scruff him he would shift to something else and make them lose their grip. Shifters often required special collars. Ray finally shook them off his tail by slinking underneath one of the machines, where no one but a rabbit could fit.

Commands were flying as officers scrambled to restrain Ray. A special collar was brought as well as a loop to capture the rabbit. "Stun him and drag him out," a commanding officer demanded.

Ray was panicking. He was surrounded on all fronts. He just moved further back, until he was inched against the stone walls. He inched to the side, then darted out to make it to another machine. He didn't make it. He got looped around the neck.

A collar was quickly snapped on and a leash attached. There was a moment of debate on where to place him, but ultimately they placed him in regular housing for the time being. Ryan, on the other hand, was a very different story.

Ryan had been recognized almost instantly. He was infamous as 'the one that got away' amongst the Northwest division. He was put in intensive lockdown. Hands attached to the wall, feet to the floor; he was completely restrained, unable to move even an inch.

Ray rattled the bars of his cage and cried out for Ryan, for Geoff, for anyone. He was completely alone, despite how many other creatures there were.

A guard came by and tapped the bar with his electrified wand, sending a shock through Ray. "You must be new here. Better learn the rules quick or you'll be in a world of hurt, creature." He took a look at the label on the side of the cage. "A shifter, huh? Able to turn into anything big? Strong? Dangerous?"

Ray felt humiliated. He wasn't a dangerous shifter. He was more of the type to sneak around, but he had a feeling if he didn't shift he would get prodded. He shifted into all three forms, cat, rabbit, then owl, then back to human.

The guard snorted a laugh before walking away. "Shit, bringin in more useless animals every day." He yelled at a couple other inmates before continuing on around the corner.

Ray didn't appreciate being called useless. He was a comfort shifter, he was a selective sneaky shifter, he was meant for de-stressing and petting and comforting. He harrumphed and curled up in the corner in his cat form. He couldn't think of anything more upsetting than this. Thinking about Ryan being all alone without him sent him into a state of anxiety. He didn't even have his collar to comfort himself.

Ryan could feel Ray's collar in his chest pocket. He was lucky that he hadn't been stripped, but there was no way he was getting out of this without help. A couple guards from his youth had stopped by, triggering the shock for shits and giggles. The hatred behind that laughter was strong. Well, Ryan _had_ nearly killed them in his escape, but that was no excuse for their cruelty. Ryan was scared, in pain, and desperately needing his familiar. His cries travelled through the magic channel that connected most witches. Other witches and familiars in the compound could hear it faintly, and they felt for him.

Ray heard the screams and his heart ached. He scrabbled at the walls, searching for a weak spot, any weak spot; anything just to get to his master. If he could just be next to him in his pain, even that would assuage his worry. He gnawed at the wires that held him in place, yelping as he found they shocked him when pressure was applied. Humans were monsters. Even the one they had trusted had betrayed them.

Gavin was plodding down the halls with some of the fellow guards, each of them slightly drunk and giggling.

"Hey…" One of the guards murmured in Gavin's ear, "There's this creature that raised hell like 10-15 years ago, and we _got_ the bastard. Let's go fuck with him!" Gavin hazily agreed and the little group started to head down to Ryan's cell.

The guards grabbed the little remote that was attached to a wire inside of the cell, pressed it. They cackled as Ryan shrieked and writhed. He handed it to Gavin. "Turn up the dial, gives you a real kick when they scream louder."

Gavin stared in horror as Ryan panted and groaned in pain. The two of them made eye contact, and suddenly, like a brick had smashed the back of his head, Gavin remembered. He remembered the beautiful magic stories, the gentle voice that lulled him to sleep, the patience of an older boy playing with someone ten years younger than he. "Oh my god…" He dropped the controller, activating the shock. Gavin watched as Ryan couldn't even scream, his body convulsing and shaking. Gavin covered his mouth and ran, the other guards laughing at the boy and his weak stomach.

"What, never seen a creature get shocked before?"

The guards didn't even wait for Gavin to recover, they just kept poking and prodding and shocking Ryan, laughing and cackling at his pain. "Never beats putting one of these fucking monsters in their place! You find any more of these fucks?"

Gavin was already headed out of sight by the time they had called out to him. He barely made it to the bathroom where he threw up his drinks and his dinner. He flushed it down and went to the sink to rinse out his mouth. He looked at himself in the mirror, disgusted to be a human. All this time he'd honestly believed that this was all for the better. He'd never seen creatures tortured for sheer amusement. It'd never crossed his mind that people would be so cruel. Ryan had done nothing to deserve hours of excruciating pain. Was everyone in the compounds like this? Surely not. Perhaps they were like him; they simply didn't know, didn't think to, didn't care to.

"I've got to do something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the poor babes


	7. That Could've Gone Better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> updated the ending to the last chapter. you're probably gonna wanna go back and read the last bit if you haven't already cause its kinda important o uo)b

Ray was crying. He could hear all of Ryan's terrible screams, he could feel the residual energy of his pain, he could feel everything, and it ached him down to his very soul.

Gavin suddenly appeared at his cell, white as a sheet. He felt another twist of guilt seeing Ray in the state he was in. Gavin looked around before undoing the lock on the cage and hurrying to Ray.

Ray hissed and jumped back when he saw Gavin, hackles raised and his fur standing on end. He was not in any mood for Gavin to be around him.

Gavin showed Ray the key to his collar, looking the shifter dead in the eyes. "Listen, Ray, in order to get Ryan and Geoff out of here I'm going to need you. I'm going to unlock your collar, but you have to listen to me, alright?"

Ray was still on his guard, but he waited to hear an explanation. He waited for Gavin to unclip his collar. "Where's Ryan?"

"He's being tortured downstairs. I'll need you to draw off the guards so I can get in and try to free Ryan. Then we can get on with freeing Geoff." Gavin inserted the key, the mechanical lock whirring before snapping open, collar dropping to the floor.

Ray looked down at the collar. "Yes." He didn't even wait for Gavin, he just darted past him out to the hallways, running to where he knew Ryan was. He couldn't bear to hear him in pain anymore. When he found where the guards that were torturing Ryan he waited behind a corner for Gavin.

Gavin came up behind him about a minute later. "Take them that way and then to the right. Be careful, don't let them catch you again. And whatever you do, _don't_ bring them back by me, alright? This might take a minute…" He nodded, signaling for Ray to get on with it.

Ray nodded and made sure he was nimble. He stretched his legs out. They were drunk; this was the best way to take care of it. He trotted up and meowed, rubbing between their legs, ready to run.

The guards were more confused as to why a cat had appeared. One of them reached down to pick Ray up, everyone wanting to pet the kitty.

Ray mewled and trotted away, leading them on. They followed him easily, and he took them a safe distance away where Gavin wouldn't be noticed. He mewled and licked their hands, rolling on his back for them to pet his tummy. They were too tipsy to notice there shouldn't be a cat there.

Gavin hurried up to Ryan's cell. He was barely conscious, his body hanging limply in his restraints. There was blood coming from his wrists, ankles, and neck where he'd been mercilessly shocked. Gavin made it into the cell, but when he tried to unlock Ryan's restraints, he found he had the wrong key.

“Ohhh, tits...”

Ray was wondering what was taking so long. He could only entrance these guards for so long. He meowed and hopped to his feet, headbutting the guard’s leg and meowing, butt wiggling in the air like he wanted to play.

Gavin was panicking. He needed the key that was undoubtedly attached to a guard's hip. Suddenly, Gavin had an idea. He peeked around the corner, relieved to see that the guards were facing the other way. He tried to motion to Ray that the key he had wasn't working. He made a bunch of confusing hand gestures before disappearing again. What they needed now was Geoff, though he hadn't very well communicated that to the poor shifter.

Ray was getting nervous. He had to keep these guards satisfied with his little tricks. Luckily they seemed to be just drunk enough to be completely enamored with him. One seemed to have the sense to wonder why there was a cat there.

"Why is this cat wandering around?"

"You're gonna question a tiny, friendly, furry animal?" The other slurred, picking Ray up and stroking him. He made sure to ham up his purring and mewling. If he looked cute enough he would surely take their attention away from Ryan.

Gavin skidded through the halls, looking for where they might've kept Geoff. He had to, rather skillfully, dodge other guards and scientists alike. Eventually he found the room where Geoff was being held. An invisible force was bouncing around a cage, trying to break free.

Geoff recognized Gavin immediately. He didn't materialize. "Gavin!" His voice was hushed. "You have to get me out of here! I thought I was a goner."

"I'm…I'm trying! It's difficult. Gavin pressed an assortment of buttons until the door slid open on Geoff's cage. "Yes!" The door behind him opened and a string of curses and shrieks flew from the human's mouth as he scurried out, tying not to be seen.

"Quick, get me out of the collar," Geoff demanded. All he really was was a floating collar, considering if he tried to project himself he would get shocked.

Gavin fumbled with his key as they ran, unlocking Geoff's collar and letting it clatter to the ground. "I need you to nab the key for Ryan's collar. Ray's distracting the guards, but I don't know for how long. We need to get the bloody blazes out of here or our asses are grass!"

Geoff didn't hesitate; he let Gavin lead the way. Luckily, Ray was still distracting the guards with his cute routine. Geoff snuck up and carefully snatched the keys from the guard's hip. He quietly returned to Gavin, handing the keys off.

Gavin skedaddled to Ryan's cell, trying to hurriedly get the mostly unconscious man unfastened from the wall. Ryan was finally freed, but unable to move on his own Gavin huffed as he struggled to support the larger man. "Alright, I'm going to need you to help me out here, Geoff…"

Geoff was right behind him, holding Ryan up. "How are we going to get Ray out of his distraction?" Maybe Ray could lead the guards away and slip off unnoticed.

There was no way they were going to get out of this unnoticed. "Ray! We're _leaving!"_ Gavin was done being subtle. Subtle was for pussies, clearly.

Ray popped out of the guards arms, who were very startled and turned around to see Gavin and a strange man carrying out _the_ creature.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Run," Geoff said, hoisting Ryan up onto his back. He was a big guy, he could handle it; certainly better than Gavin.

Luckily, Gavin knew the compounds' general layouts and managed to find the exit with minimal effort and minimal contact with other officials. "Alright, we all here?"

Geoff counted them up. "Ryan, Ray, me, you. Let's go." Ray was up in his human form now, running along beside them. "Are the others outside?"

"We can hope so." Gavin booked it out the door, seeing to his dismay a couple of armed guards walking the premises. "Christ!" He cried before the four of them scrambled in another direction, but to find that there were only more guards in that direction. Gavin prayed that Michael, Lindsay, and Jack were hiding somewhere to make their amazing rescue.

Michael sure was. He swept through like whirlwind, literally. The wind he knocked up with his wings sent many of the guards to their backs. He dove in and snatched Ryan up from Geoff's back. He huffed a little, but motioned over to the thickset trees. "Over there! Jack and Lindsay are waiting!" He lifted Ryan over, knowing with him out of the way the rest could handle the guards that made it to their feet.

Geoff smacked Ray in the back of the head, causing him to squawk and turn to his rabbit form instinctively. Geoff snatched him right up off the ground, solving the problem of Ray's lagging.

Gavin was the only one who was lagging now, but he didn't completely mind. He turned around and saw that no one seemed to be chasing after them. Either this was a wonderful turn of events that they had all renounced their creature hating ways and no longer had any desire to support the compounds or capture creatures, or they were amassing for a manhunt.

Geoff didn't stop until they were far, far away. He paused to catch his breath, looking around. Everything was unfamiliar. "Maybe we should wait. Michael will probably be coming back for us."

Ray wiggled free and shifted to his owl form. He rose above the trees, then fluttered back down. He hooted and motioned with a wing. "Lindsay's home is that way. It's not too far."

Back at Lindsay's, Jack was trying to catch his breath as he bandaged Ryan's neck, wrists, and ankles with Lindsay's help. The others soon showed up, staggering up, completely exhausted.

The first thing Ray did was dive right into Ryan's lap. He searched out his familiars' collar and slipped it right over his head, the soft material forming to him, just as it was meant to. A few tears escaped him. For a time he'd felt as if he would never return to Ryan's side.

Ryan was unresponsive, his breathing haggard. It was amazing, actually, that the idiots at the compound hadn't killed him. "He just needs to rest, Ray. He should be up and about in a couple day or so." Jack explained as best he could with what little he knew. "He needs to rest now."

Ray didn't move from Ryan's side. He was going to stay with him until the very end, whenever that end may be. But it certainly wouldn't be now, and that meant he wasn't leaving.

Michael looked at them, and he and Lindsay decided they would take business outside so that Ryan could rest.

Jack stepped out as well, looking to the rest of the group. "He should be okay. His magic seems to be healing him to some degree, but I'm afraid to move him until he's awake. We'll need to get out of here soon though. Those guards are gonna be looking for us."

Lindsay was already getting to work putting up a glamour around the tent. "I've got you all covered for at least a couple days. I should get out of here too, if it's getting dangerous."

"You're always welcome to come with us. Or if you'd like to get a head start you can leave now. We'd love it if you came with us." Jack gave a nod, letting her know that she was already a part of their group if she'd like to be. "It gets a little hectic from time to time, but we're always here for each other."

"I'd love to stick around," Lindsay replied favorably, nodding along. "But let's wait til the big guy in there is healed up."

"Anyone know where Invisible McKidnappy-pants went?" Michael snorted, yelping as he was promptly hoisted into the air by an unseen force.

Gavin was still sitting in the throes of guilt. He couldn't so much as even look at the others. He was still wrapping his mind around the fact that he grew up believing in lies. He was trying to figure out what had been truth and what hadn't.

Geoff materialized and dropped Michael like a hot rock. He looked over at Gavin and strode up to him. "Hey, I wanted to say thanks for putting your neck out there and coming to save me."

Gavin glanced at Geoff before looking down at his lap. "Sure, yeah, of course… I uh, need some air." As if there wasn't enough of it outside already. He got up and walked off, just needing some space for a moment.

Geoff watched him go and nodded. He was probably experiencing a crisis after Ryan had been so brutally tortured. Poor kid. He turned back to the others. "We need to think about getting ourselves to a new location."

"What're we gonna do about Ryan though? Think its safe to move him? I mean he's unconscious, man." Jack folded his arms, a worried frown crossing his face as his tail flicked uneasily.

"We can wait a couple days, but not anymore than that," Geoff assured him. "Lindsay's got a decent set-up, but it's not going to hold out forever, and that's what I want to nip in the bud."

"Geoff…" Jack sighed, "I don't know if we've got a couple of days." With Ryan temporarily out of the picture, leadership tended to go to a combined effort of Jack and Geoff. "Knowing that they lost you, Ryan, Ray, and were betrayed by one of their own, they're gonna come after us and quick. This is serious, Geoff…"

"I know, but we can't move him yet. You saw the state he's in," Geoff urged, pursing his lips. "Let's send one of our flyers out, see if they can scope out any kind of safe place."

Jack nodded before heading back into the tent. "Ray…" he sighed, "I know you don't want to leave Ryan, but we need your help. You're less conspicuous than a dragon, we're gonna need you to do some surveillance for us. Can you do that?" If Ray really felt the need to stay with Ryan he wouldn't push it.

Ray didn't want to leave Ryan, but he knew the sooner they were out then the sooner he would help Ryan get better. "I'll go, but can someone stay with Ryan? He shouldn't be alone." Resting, but not alone.

"I'll stay." Jack assured, folding his equine legs and settling down beside Ryan. He placed a couple fingers under Ryan's nose to check his breathing before checking his pulse. Ryan was already slowly getting better. "You resilient motherfucker."

Ray trotted out with a heavy heart where he got his directions from Geoff. He missed Ryan's capable words, but this was the best they would have to do.

Jack poked his head out to speak to Geoff. "Next time, you get to tell him. I'm not being subjected to that puppy dog stare again." He felt stupidly guilty making Ray separate from Ryan.

"Trust me, we all need to take turns doing that, it's way too much for one person to handle." Geoff completely agreed. "Now we just get to wait."

Gavin was wandering around, deep in thought. He was legitimately afraid of what was going to happen to him. Thankfully he had the protective blanket of his father's safety, hopefully. If he did get accepted back into his compound, he swore to try and make things right. He wasn't just going to turn his back on everything he'd grown up with; he'd change it. Rather ambitious, admittedly.

Ray returned with good information. Southeast was free of any nearby compounds. Not for miles, at least. And if they moved under cover of darkness they would be able to sneak through the lands unseen. Of course, that left them open to the nighttime dangers.

"Alright. Let's wrap Ryan up, strap him to my back, and hurry the hell out of here." Jack stepped out of the tent. "Geoff, Lindsay, Michael, let's pack shit up and get a move on. We've got a clear path southeast."

"Should we wait for Gavin?" Michael asked, already working on packing up their belongings. With Jack carrying Ryan they were all going to have to pull a lot more weight.

"He said he just needed some air, right? He should be back soon." Jack crouched down as Ray and Geoff hoisted Ryan's limp form onto Jack's back.

Gavin showed up a couple minutes later, an uneasy expression on his face. He looked around as everyone hurried to pack up. "We leaving?"

"Heading southeast," Geoff grunted as he loaded Michael up. He and Michael were the next top lifters after Jack. "Pick up your share of the load." There was plenty to choose from.

Gavin sighed at the sight of everything. Both Jack and Ryan's shares of weight combined would be a nightmare to carry. Gavin hefted as much as he could onto his back, swaying backwards for a moment before righting himself. "Oh god..."

"Not so easy, hunh? See how much Seabiscuit does for us?" Geoff said, patting Jack's flank. "Couldn't live without him. He's what lets us travel so heavy. Otherwise we'd only have a fraction of what we do."

"I swear to god, Geoff, I'll kick you in the dick if you keep calling me Seabiscuit." Jack flicked his tail in Geoff's face. He knew he was heavily relied upon for carrying heavy weight, but he didn't like being equated to a pack mule. It was something most centaurs were touchy about. Ryan made a noise of discomfort as he was jostled before settling again.

"With a hoof or a fist?" Geoff knew when he had pissed someone off enough to turn invisible. It didn't stop him from sprinkling dirt over Jack's head.

Jack twisted his lips in irritation as his face started to turn a light pink. "I swear if I didn't have Ryan on my back I'd come after you, jackass." Jack slowly began to walk from the tent, being mindful not to rock his friend to much. "Everyone ready?"

Geoff rematerialized with several packs already on his back. "We're ready. Let's get everyone out of here. Remember, if we come across trouble I want everyone able to drop their bags easily and without harm to the stuff. We'll stand and fight through whatever nasty things come for us, human or not."

Lindsay looked around the little group. They were clearly, and understandably upset by the recent turn of events. She wanted to help out any way that she could. She saluted the fairy, "Yessir, boss. Lead the way."

Gavin followed shortly behind Geoff, Jack and Ryan in the middle of the little entourage with Ray not far away, leaving Michael and Lindsay to take up the rear.

Michael looked ahead at their little procession. "Everything seems pretty fucked up right now." He shrugged his shoulders, looking away. "But it's nice you came with us, you know?"

"I'm happy to be here, even if it is a little fucked up. Better than being alone. Lindsay looked over at Michael before gently nudging his shoulder. "I bet even dragons like having friends."

Michael wouldn't admit to the flush on his cheeks. "I could live without these losers easy." He _could_ but he certainly didn't want to.

"I'm gonna have to call bullshit on that." Lindsay cocked a confident smile. "If you didn't love these "losers" you would've bounced the second shit got real." No one would put up with this for casual acquaintances. No one would risk their life like that on a regular basis. No one would be that concerned over someone they didn't care about.

"I said I could live without these losers, I never said I didn't want to." In all honesty he would have been caught long before if he wasn't with the group. "In case it's not apparent, I _like_ these assholes."

"Love you too, lizard brain," Geoff threw in.

"I like you too, my boi!" Gavin cried, spinning around and outstretching his arms. The human hadn't been with them long, but he was starting to grow fond of the creatures.

"Shut up, Gavin." Of course, Michael's surly behavior was just how he showed affection.

"Awh, be nice to the human," Geoff crooned, grabbing Gavin and thoroughly noogie-ing him. "He saved my life."

Ray decided not to say anything on that matter.

Gavin squawked at the suddenness of the noogie, "Yeah, well, I'm far from a hero, Geoff." He almost lost his balance trying to get from Geoff's hold.

"You saved me and Ryan and Ray, that's good enough. How'd you guys even get caught? I thought you were supposed to be mega sneaky," Geoff laughed. He didn't stick around to hear the answer. Ray didn't speak up. It was up to Gavin.

Gavin looked sheepishly at Ray before falling back to talk to him. "Ray…" he was unsure how to begin, "I…I didn't know they'd do this to him. I _swear_ I didn't know. I wouldn't have sent him in with a collar on if I'd known."

"I don't have anything to say about it," Ray said. Gavin may have saved them in the end, but he had still betrayed them. That was so much trust down the drain.

"Look, I know I didn't do right by you. I'll do my best to make it up to you." He tried to look Ray in the eyes, but Ray wasn't having any of it.

"I get it, you want to start over." Ray shrugged it off. He didn't say anything else. "I like you, Gavin, but I'm going to need some time."

"I'm not asking you to forgive me, but I want you to know I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure this doesn't happen again." With that, he went back up to walk by Geoff, continuing their game of "what if."

Jack looked over at Ray. "You…wanna talk about it?"

Ray shrugged. "Not really. It wouldn't really change what happened." He didn't want to throw Gavin under the bus, because he _did_ like Gavin. But he didn't think it was right that Geoff thought Gavin a hero, either.

"Well, alright. I'm here if you change your mind." With that, Jack tuned back out again.

Suddenly, Ryan shifted ever so slightly, giving a weak, raspy moan. His eyes fluttered before going still again. He could vaguely hear the outside world, but had no real understanding of it.

Ray was at his side, trotting alongside Jack. "Ryan?" He didn't want him to wake up if he still needed rest, but he wanted to be there for his master when he woke up.

Ryan stirred once more at the sound of his name. He forced his eyes open, seeing a fuzzy, out of focus Ray hovering over him. He was a bit confused by the current events, but he figured he'd get clued in eventually. He let his eyes flutter hut once more, a wheezed sigh slipping from his lips.

Ray reached out and pet his master's hair, trying to soothe him in some way. He didn't want him stressing too hard, he still had so far to go.

\--

The group walked in near silence until the sun started to set over the horizon. Everyone was exhausted, sore, and hungry. They didn't want to stop, but at this point they were barely picking up their feet.

"Maybe we should rest," Geoff muttered, rubbing at his eyes. "Let's try not to push it. We don't want to be so exhausted we can't defend ourselves."

"A-fucking-men," Michael called up from the rear, muttering and grumbling under his breath.

Jack used his feet to clear out an area on the ground to put Ryan  down so he could help set up camp. He made sure Ryan was comfortable before setting up some blankets in the designated sleeping area.

Ray made sure his master was comfortable above all else. They all set their packs down and Michael started patrolling the small area to make sure there were no hidden nasties.

"Everyone got a sleeping spot?" Geoff asked. "We need to establish watch."

Gavin had flopped down on his spot, trying hard to stay awake long enough for the meager rations to be served up. Everything Geoff had stolen had been left behind. "What're we to eat?"

"We still have some veggies, and a little bit of that deer left," Geoff sighed, "But we have to ration it. Meat goes to Ryan; he needs it more than you guys do. We still have some of the fish that Michael caught. That will have to keep us going, but fish goes bad faster."

"I guess we'll prep the fish then." Jack suggested, grimacing at the thought of the possibility of having to eat meat. They were nearing a barren zone, which meant there wouldn't be much vegetation until they neared the next compound. "I'll get stuff for a fire. We can roast what veg we've got."

Geoff nodded. Being the resident vegetarians meant having to sacrifice every now and then. "At least we're not eating goat," he said, trying to keep on the positive side.

Michael unloaded the fish and tossed it to Geoff. "Caught by yours truly."

"You also took drugs while you did it, so forgive me if I don't trust you," Geoff snorted.

"Here, I'll take care of that." Lindsay took it from the vegetarians, not wanting to make them have to cut into animal flesh. She cut off its head before slicing it down the stomach and pulling out the bones.

Jack returned a few minutes later with some thin branches, setting them up for a campfire. He left a few aside for roasting. "Think you can give this a spark, Lindsay?"

The witch cracked her knuckles, biting her lip confidently. "Could give it a shot." She held out her hands, focused on the branches. She drew her fingers in and flicked, a spattering of fire magic spraying from her fingers in a haphazard way. Well, at least it was lit.

Michael yelped and jumped out of the way as Lindsay started four fires simultaneously. He batted one down, though the others went down on their own.

"Nice," Geoff, snorted, giving a nod to Lindsay.

"Well, I tried. Still learning." She was proud of herself, though. She was already doing a lot better with Ryan's instruction.

"You'll be learning a lot more," Geoff assured her, glancing over at Ryan. "Now, let's get these guys fed. I can tell everyone needs a good meal after all that trekking. Michael, you're on watch today. Take Gavin with you if you need."

Gavin groaned and pulled himself up, not wanting to stay up any later than after dinner, but he wouldn't argue.

Fish and veggies were roasted over the open fire, tasting delicious to everyone after such a long, exhausting day. As soon as everyone was done, they went to bed, not wanting to be awake a moment longer.

Michael took a long breath and whined, sitting up. "Come on, Gavin. Better get to watch." He took one of the blankets and curled it around himself by the fire. "Gonna be a long night."

Gavin got comfortable leaning up against Michael. "We should play never have I ever. Keep us awake." Plus, playing dumb shit games like this were great ways to find out dirty secrets about people.

"What's that? A drinking game or something?" Michael had never been around people enough to get a real handle on social games. He'd only ever been with the group, and there often wasn't time for games.

Gavin held up both hands, fingers extended. "Alright, so, you say "never have I ever" and then add something that you've never done before. Then, if the other person's done it, they put a finger down. Last person with fingers up wins."

Michael nodded and held up both scaly hands. "Alright. Never have I ever hurt other magic folk on purpose." Maybe that was a shot.

Gavin furrowed his brow, hiding a look of genuine hurt. He pulled away from Michael, "Asshole." He didn't want to play anymore. He was still feeling guilty about Ryan, and it felt like Michael had just wanted the chance to twist the knife.

"So you _have_ hurt one of us," Michael snorted, crossing his arms. "You were the one who wanted to play."

“Fuck you, you scaly bastard, I have not. Not directly. Alright, fine, never have I ever gone out of my way to be a complete asshole to someone. And never have I ever have I had to stay up for watch by myself." Gavin went to his sleeping area and laid down, huffing as he tried to go to sleep.

Michael huffed and slumped back under his blanket. He had wanted to get along with Gavin, but something like that just lingered in the back of his head. He didn't think that Gavin would be _that_  sensitive over it...

Gavin knew in the back of his mind he was being over dramatic, but he was still dealing with his recent discovery. Maybe when Ryan came out of his coma, and when Ray stopped silently blaming him for it he could try thinking about having a sense of humor towards the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> curious: as we have warned, there will be character death(s) within this fic. Who do you, our readers, predict to be the one(s) to die?
> 
> we'd love to hear what you think!
> 
> thanks to everyone who's reviewed, bookmarked, and thrown kudos our way. They're all greatly appreciated <3


	8. Little Lion Man

Halfway through the night Michael was relieved of his duties and Geoff took over watch. The morning was peaceful enough. There were no monsters, no humans sans Gavin, nothing to keep them from having a nice small breakfast.

"Alright, everything packed?" Jack asked as he tied up the string to his pack. He wanted to make sure everything was together before hefting Ryan onto his back.

"We're good," Geoff called back to him. "Let's get Ryan up." He and Michael slowly hefted Ryan onto Jack's back and strapped him in. "Alright, Jack, he's in."

Ryan's eyes fluttered again, a low whine making its way from his lips. His head almost fell to the side, but the pain made his head twitch back into place. He blinked his eyes open slowly. "….W…Where…" his throat was painfully dry and raspy.

Ray put a hand on Ryan's chest. "Don't worry, we're safe." He took Ryan's hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Rest up, man."

Ryan felt beneath him, still confused and barely conscious. "A horse...?" He blinked a couple times, trying to force himself awake. "What's happened?"

"Jack," Ray clarified for him. "We're moving. You're not strong enough to move on your own yet." He looked over to Geoff, "Get me some water." When a cask was tossed to him he held it up to Ryan's lips to give him a taste of water.

Ryan gulped down as much as he could. His neck was still in considerable pain, but his thirst was greater. He leaned back against Jack again, looking over at Ray. "Tell me everything that happened."

"Not much happened," Ray assured him. "We hauled ass right the fuck out of there." He shrugged and nodded to Ryan. "Gavin and Geoff got you out of there."

Ryan didn't like Ray's answer; feeling like something was being left out. He looked around their surroundings, but was still too tired to fully comprehend them. He let his eyes close again, falling asleep and snoring gently.

Ray patted Ryan's hand, trying to keep himself together. Seeing Ryan so hurt and desperate hurt him. He took a few deep breaths and looked ahead. "Want me to scout ahead?"

"That'd be great,” Jack cut in. “We don't have that much to carry now, so when you're done you can ride on my back with Ryan if you'd like." They were going minimalist for the time being, ditching everything except the necessities. It was too much for such constant travel.

"I'll fly," Ray assured him, slipping off his packs. He handed one to Jack, then another to Michael and Gavin. He shifted to his owl form and took flight, scouting ahead to determine the best path and check for any immediate or other danger.

Lindsay looked amongst the men in the group noticing a weird air, especially around Gavin and Michael. She went up to the dragon. "You know, we all kinda heard the little spat between you and Gavin. Wanna talk about it?"

Michael shrugged. "I don't really have anything to say about it. You might wanna ask Gavin instead." He rolled his eyes, making little mimicking movements that were supposed to be Gavin. "Thanks, I guess."

"We're a small group, man. I mean, I know I'm new and don't really know you guys well enough to give you advice, but…we're kind of all we got. No use making enemies where you could have friends." She wasn't trying to make it out to be all Michael's fault. Just trying to give him a bit of food for thought.

"Gavin's not my _enemy_ ," Michael huffed. "I just think he can be a downright pretentious prick." He hoped many of the others would agree with him, though he knew they wanted to try and stay either distant from the topic, or give Gavin more leeway.

"Fair enough." Lindsay shrugged and continued walking by his side. Even though Michael was a somewhat prickly individual, there was an underlying layer of sweetness.

Michael grunted. "Thanks for checking in on me." Surly he may be, but he knew when to be thankful. Besides, he didn't want to drive Lindsay off or make her think he really did hate everyone he came across.

Lindsay bumped shoulders with him, offering him a small smile before continuing on their way. It was another mostly quiet walk, conversations picking up here and there. Ryan awoke a few times, but never for long.

Ray returned with good news: a long expanse of forest stretched in front of them. "We should be able to lose any potential followers," he said, shifting back to his human form and taking back all the packs he had unloaded on the others.

"That's awesome man, thanks." Jack gave him a pat on the back, "He's been in and out, mostly out. Should be feeling better by tomorrow."

"I hope so." Ray fidgeted with every hour that Ryan wasn't okay. His waking every now and then helped to assuage his fears, and he knew they were irrational, but he was so worried about his master. He would only be truly satisfied when Ryan was up and walking around and he could nestle into his cloak hood once more.

\--

As night was falling, Ryan woke again, moving slowly to sit up on Jack's back. It was a painful process, but he was sick of lying about and sleeping. He wouldn't be of much use yet, but he'd like to at least see what was happening.

Ray honed in on him immediately. He scampered up closer. "Ryan? You okay?"

Geoff took notice and called for a halt. They were all tired and grumpy. Best to make camp.

"I still feel like shit," Ryan squeaked, voice still gone, "but I think I'm doing better." He motioned for Ray to help lower him off Jack. He didn't trust his ankles enough to jump.

Ray helped him down, and with Michael's assistance laid Ryan on the ground. Ray fetched him water and some of the salted goat that they had saved. He needed the energy most of all.

Ryan thanked them both. He nibbled slowly on the meat as everyone else began to unpack. There was an odd dissonance present, but for some reason he couldn't pick up where it was coming from.

Michael got a fire going, with Lindsay's help. He was still complaining about not being able to do it himself, but Geoff had quickly chided him to remember his asthmatic responses. That shut him up real quick.

Ray didn't leave Ryan's side. He shifted to his bun form and promptly crawled right in his lap. He wasn't leaving.

Ryan was more than happy to be back with Ray. He slowly ran a hand over Ray's head and ears and down his back. He listened to Lindsay's cooing over the asthmatic dragon and the dragon's protest, the sound of Geoff's mischievous giggling and Jack's sighs. All was right again.

With a fire going, Geoff started rationing out veggies for himself and Jack, and started on the last of the fish. "We're going to have to try foraging again. Ray said there was a forest, which is good for wildlife and flora. Hopefully something for me and Jack."

With a fire going, Geoff started rationing out veggies for himself and Jack, and started on the last of the fish. "We're going to have to try foraging again. Ray said there was a forest, which is good for wildlife and flora. Hopefully something for me and Jack."

"Hopefully." Jack wasn't doubting Ray, but he wasn't confident about their safety. There were a lot of aggressive sounding creatures the last mile of their trek.

Geoff sensed Jack's concerns. "Forests mean more monsters hiding in the brush. We'll need to be on our toes."

Jack nodded, "I'm still worried about Ryan, too." He lowered his voice, "Thought he'd be a bit more mobile by now. He usually heals up pretty quick. Something's not right."

"As it is, we're lucky he's up and moving around as much as he is," Geoff sighed, looking over at Ryan and Ray. Neither of those two were going anywhere anytime soon.

Ryan was sitting up against a rock, having hardly touched his food. He stared off into space, lost in his thoughts. The hand that was slowly petting Ray came to a stop.

Ray definitely noticed that. He perked up a little, shifting in Ryan's lap. He made a little disgruntled noise, squeaking and then wiggling his little bunny ears.

Ryan's tired eyes went back to the rabbit in his lap. He brought his hand up and started petting him again. "Sorry, my mind's wandering a bit."

"What's on your mind?" Ray asked, rolling over so Ryan could pet his tummy. He was trying to look as cute as possible, hoping that it might help Ryan's mood.

"Mostly nothing. I suppose I'm still a little out of it." He hadn't been feeling right. Obviously he was still recovering, but something was still off.

Ray nodded and wiggled closer into Ryan's lap, trying to assure him that his trusty, fluffy companion was there with him for the whole ride.

Geoff was doling out the rations when he looked over towards the setting sun. "Jack, you take watch tonight. After a few hours it'll be Lindsay's turn."

"You got it." Jack nodded while Lindsay gave a thumbs up. As dinner was served, Lindsay and Gavin sat near Michael. Gavin and Michael were back to talking to each other again, though they were still sometimes a bit testy.

The subject had once more turned to Michael's developing flint sack. "I can _too_ breathe fire! Just because I'm still a juvenile it doesn't mean I can't do it! Watch me!" He puffed up his cheeks.

"Michael, don't you dare!" Geoff exclaimed, cheeks going red. Too late, Michael was already expelling sparks and smoke and coughing and...was that a fire ball?

"I did it! I fucking _did it!_ I fucking _told you so!"_

Gavin refused to acknowledge it out of pure stubbornness. "Nah, you're foolin. Just a waft of smoke from a wheezy dragon." He grinned as he watched Michael grow mildly annoyed.

Michael had to fight through his wheezing. "I just fucking spat _fire!"_ He pointed to the smoking patch of grass that was burned out.

"Michael," Geoff groaned, coming over to sit the dragon down and help him through his breathing.

Lindsay also helped, using one of the first tricks Ryan had showed her and helped Michael cool off his throat. Luckily, healing seemed to be something she was quite good at.

"Thanks," Michael coughed, the irritation in his lungs subsiding. "You're good at that." It still didn't stop him from puffing up his chest. "I breathed fire."

"You breathed a fireball, and nearly caught us all on fire," Geoff corrected him.

"You did good. Looks like we're both doing better." She brought up her fist for a fist bump. The two of them seemed to be late bloomers with their abilities, but that was probably because they'd never had anyone to show them.

Michael gladly met her fist, grinning wide. He looked smug at Gavin. "Told you I breathed fire." He was never going to let it go.

Gavin smiled, conceding, "You did good, my boi!" He patted Michael on the back. He could tell just how proud Michael was of himself and he wasn't about to dampen it.

Geoff decided not to give a big lecture about being careful. Michael had his victory and he deserved it. "Alright, I'm gonna need someone to go look for water. Preferably with a buddy."

"I'll go." Lindsay offered, raising her hand as if she was in class. This would also be a good chance to practice her magic away from other people without having to risk hurting them.

"I'll join," Michael offered, hopping up and rolling on the balls of his feet. "I'm still wide awake."

Half the crew was already passed out across camp. Ryan and Ray had fallen asleep against a tree, and Jack was nodding off where he sat by the campfire, starting to snore gently.

"Shall we go?" Lindsay jerked her thumb in the direction of the trickling stream.

Michael gathered up a few of the casks to fill them with water and joined Lindsay heading towards the sound if running water. "So you and Ryan are tight, hunh? Or I assume so since you're both witches."

"Well, I mean, I suppose there's a certain amount of obligatory closeness that comes from being of kin." She grabbed some of the water skins and walked beside Michael. "But yeah, I like Ryan a lot. He’s a cool guy."

"Ryan's a good guy to get along with, although sometimes he can be a downright prick." Michael seemed to have that impression of everyone in the group. He wasn't too far from the truth. "But he's a great guy. He took every one of us in when we needed a safe place the most."

"And you're exempt from the "great guy, but a prick" rule?" Most definitely not, but that didn't make him any less appealing as a person. "You know, it’s rare for a person of magic to find a familiar these days. Ryan and Ray are lucky."

"Ray doesn't even know it," Michael replied, watching the stream come into view. "Ray's just a kid, he's the youngest out of all of us. I don't think he knows quite how much he lucked out. He could have died that day that Ryan found him, easily." Michael paused, thinking about his own predicament, "and me too."

Lindsay put a hand on Michael's shoulder, speaking softly, "But you didn't. You're alive and you can breathe fucking fire. You've got an awesome group of friends that'd do anything for you. We all lucked out, I'd think."

Michael puffed up his chest, rather flattered by Lindsay's words. "Hell yeah. I'm glad I'm here with all my friends. And I'm glad you joined too." He felt a little sheepish saying that. He'd never really encountered a girl before, though he tried to act around her the same way he'd act around any other friend.

Lindsay giggled, equally flattered. "What can I say, I bring the party." She kicked off her shoes and picked up a couple water skins and canteens before jogging down to the stream.

Michael just tossed himself in. He had no clothes to speak of, his scales covered everything they needed to, and he rolled around on the rocks, giving himself a well overdue bath.

Lindsay laughed at Michael's antics before kicking up some water and splashing him back. She didn't care much at this point if her clothes got wet. It was hot, and this was fun.

Michael was bubbling in the shallow part of the river, rather pleased with how the trip had ended up. Although he had to remember they had searched out the stream for a reason and filled up the remaining skins. "We probably shouldn't be out here for too long. Nasty shit goes down at night."

"Ah, we'll be alright. We're not too far away." Lindsay wasn't particularly worried about the inherent danger that surrounded them. Like most beings of magic, she grew up with it, alone.

Michael trusted her enough. With two of them it was easier to deal with. Not that if he were alone he'd be scared or anything. He rolled over in the river with a pleasant sigh. "Feels nice to have a bath again. Was afraid we wouldn't find clean water after we left your quarry."

"Well, it's only been, what, a week? I know I've definitely gone longer than that. Gross." She stuck out her tongue at the memory. She laid down in the water, floating gently.

"Definitely gross, but unfortunately how it works," Michael groaned, slithering out of the water and shaking himself off. He fanned out his wings and sighed pleasantly. "Can't wait till we're able to actually settle down somewhere. We had some good digs, before all this drama."

"They're probably not going to forget everything what went down at that compound. I doubt we've heard the last of them." Lindsay sighed as she wrung out her clothes. "Let's head back, it's gettin kinda chilly."

Michael nodded and gathered up all the skins and casks before he followed after Lindsay's footsteps. "It'll be nice to get away from the humans. I mean, nothin' against 'em _all_ , Gavin seems alright. But I just don't want to be around them."

"Yeah…" Mentions of the humans brought her thoughts to Ryan. "Does, uh, Ryan seem alright to you?" She had been worried about all of her new friends that'd been captured, but Ryan especially.

"I don't know, he seemed a little spacey just now. Usually he'd be ready to take over. Although I think Geoff and Jack both scared him off with those looks of theirs." They could be so stern, sometimes. Even downright scary, at times.

"Well, let's hurry back. See how he's doing." Maybe she could try some of her healing on him! The pair made it back to the camp with only minor spooks from possible threats lying wait in the dark.

Michael handed out the flasks to everyone and tucked the extras away in their bag for later. When that was said and done he patted himself down a spot and curled up for the night.

Ryan had awoken a little while ago, part of him loathing the idea of sleeping more. He wanted to hurry up and get better so he could get back to doing what he did best, which meant housing the group.

Ray, who had napped along with Ryan was up and alert, though he didn't move from Ryan's lap. Heaven and Earth would have to explode before he would leave Ryan alone again. At least, not until he felt appropriately accustomed to their bond once more.

Jack was out for the night, blanket over his equine half as well as his shoulders.  Gavin had fallen asleep flopped over Geoff, the two sharing a blanket. It was getting rather chilly at night lately, a change of seasons approaching.

Ryan looked up when he heard the two approach. "Welcome back. Looks like you two had fun."

"You look like a wet blanket," Ray mused to Michael, who just bobbed his head and stuck his tongue out, as if mocking him silently.

Lindsay picked up her bedroll and unrolled it on a nice soft spot of ground after kicking the few rocks and twigs away. "Well, I'm ready to sleep. Night guys." She laid down and wrapped herself up, falling asleep almost immediately.

Ray decided to stay up with watch, since everyone had already conked out. Better him than no one, though the best he would probably do was wake someone else up. He curled up in Ryan's lap and pawed at him gently.

Ryan looked down at Ray, raising an eyebrow. "Cold?" He took the blanket that was around his shoulders and wrapped it around Ray as well, letting the fluffy little head poke out.

Ray shook himself as he adjusted to the new layer. "I'm alright, you should keep it for yourself. You're not cold, are you?" He had fur to keep him warm.

“Nah, I still got plenty of blanket wrapped around me." He shifted against the tree he was propped up against. "Ray…I know you don't want to talk about it, but I need to know if the people at the compound did anything to me." Other than electrify the shit out of him, that is.

"I was separated from you for a while." Ray's ears lay flat against his feline head. "The times I did see you they just hooked you up to their collars and locked you up in some special cell, away from me and Geoff."

Ryan brought a hand up to his neck at the memory. It was still scabbed and gross, but it was healing. What worried him more was that his magic channels felt odd, like they had congealed and clogged. "Here, come with me. I need to see something for myself." He set Ray down and held onto the tree as he stood.

Ray shifted to his human form so he could help Ryan to his feet without straining himself. "You don't think they messed with anything right...?"

"I won't know until I see for myself." He accepted Ray's help until he was on his feet. He walked slowly into the woods, away from the others, until he found a clearing. "Stay back, Ray. I'm not completely confident that this will go well."

"Are you sure you should be using magic when you're so weak?" Ray asked, staying behind Ryan for his own safety, though willing to jump in for his master at any moment.

"I'll be fine. In fact, I should be healed by now. Which is why I'm concerned they did something to inhibit me." Ryan prepared to cast an easy spell, a blip of fire big enough to maybe start a campfire. The second he tried to channel magic there were streaks of pain through his body, along his magic channels. The spell backfired, scattering destructive magic around the clearing and knocking Ryan back. His legs started to give out and he began to fall.

Ray jumped forward, catching Ryan before he could hit the ground. Unfortunately, he was not big enough to keep Ryan from landing on top of him. He peeked over Ryan's form, eyes going wide. That was a lot more than just a fireball.

"Ow." Ryan could feels that the wounds around his wrists had opened again, slowly oozing blood. He sat up, looking at his hands. Thoughts were running around in his mind as to why this could be. The only thing he could think of was that whatever the compounds used to restrict magic users had somehow gotten inside him, or something to that end.

Ray squirmed out from under Ryan and looked around, shocked. "I don't like this, Ryan." What if the same thing had happened to him?

“Me neither." He gripped his wrists and moved to stand up again. He was panicking internally, mixed feelings of anger and fear fogging his brain. "Let's…get back to the others..."

Ray walked Ryan back to the camp, anxiety already creating multiple scenarios in his head that all ended up terribly. "Maybe we can ask Gavin." As much as he was loathe to think of Gavin as the hero, the human certainly had the inner working knowledge of the compounds. Perhaps he could shed light on their situations.

Ryan nodded, still a bit distracted by his thoughts. He limped back to camp, resting against a tree as soon as he got the chance. He was tired, but he wanted to stay up for watch, it was only fair.

Ray curled up in his lap again, assuming his rabbit form. His shifting wasn't affected, not like Ryan. Maybe it had something to do with all those chains Ryan was hooked up to...

Ryan stayed awake as long as he could, ultimately passing out with Ray still in his lap. He dreamed of nothing that night and woke up the next morning to the sounds of frenzied bustling about. He blinked his eyes open, feeling like he'd only closed them a minute ago.

"What the fuck..?"

Ray had passed out as well, feeling rather stunned as he was dislodged from Ryan's lap. No one had been up keeping watch; that only made his gut churn more at the thought.

It was a pack of shifters, more animalistic in their mindsets than human. They saw the gang as a threat to their territory; they saw humans come to take them away. They were circling camp, having clearly already attacked. Everyone stood defensively around Ryan and Ray. They had failed to wake the two, so they did their best to protect them.

Ray jumped up, shifting to his cat form and skidding in between everyone’s legs. There was a mix of shifters, but they all seemed aggressive. He wanted to try and help by communicating with them, but he was a passive shifter. None of his forms were particularly fruitful. He tried to get their attention by shifting between all four forms, hoping they would understand he was one of them.

One of the shifters, prowling in the form of a wolf, approached Ray, sniffing him a moment before grabbing him by the scruff and absconding with him. They believed Ray had been taken captive, and now they had freed him.

"Ray! What the fuck, you assholes!" Ryan shouted as Ray squawked and scrambled in the wolf's mouth. Of course he instinctively curled up, feeling the shifter's teeth on his scruff. Michael was about dart after them, wings expanding, when Geoff grabbed him.

"No! Michael, don't, they'll just attack again!"

"We're not letting them take Ray." Ryan crackled with magic only to be inhibited by his own anger. He winced, powerless to do anything. Jack still had his bow drawn and Gavin his gun, but they were hesitant to shoot.

"Shit, it's just one thing after the other." Jack grit his teeth as he watched one of their own get abducted.

"We have to think about this," Geoff called out. "Michael, up in the sky. Stay in the trees, track them." Geoff jumped up on Jack's equine back. "Jack, let's hurry after them, but don't get too close. We don't want them to do anything to Ray. Ryan..." His voice faltered. "Maybe you should stay here. You still need to recover. Lindsay, Gavin, you two split on either side of me and Jack. We're not letting them take Ray."

Geoff's decision made sense, but Ryan hated it. He wasn't used to being so useless. He watched them go. This whole situation left him feeling like his heart had been dropped into a vat of acid and was slowly disintegrating. But all he could do was sigh, wait, and worry.


	9. Eight's a Company

Gavin ran alongside Lindsay until they split up, per Geoff's instruction. Jack kept his trot slow so the bipedal individuals to either side of him stood a chance at catching up.

"I can still hear him," Geoff said, glancing up to see Michael gliding through the trees like a dart. "He's yowling up a storm up there, you'd think they would figure it out... Let's wait it out, try and keep an eye on them. I'd rather have Ray uncomfortable but safe for a few hours than risk ourselves. I don't think they want to hurt him, but we don't know how civil these shifters are."

"I think they made it clear how civil they're unwilling to be." Jack murmured under his breath. They wouldn't be able to get too close without being detected, but they did want to make sure Ray was at least safe.

"Stop here." Geoff told him, watching as the shifters stopped in an open clearing. Ray was still fussing up a storm, yowling and trying to free himself. Though he found himself indubitably held down, like they thought he was brainwashed or something.

"What are we going to do?" Gavin asked in a squeaky whisper. "Can't we just…shoot them?" He couldn't think of any other way they'd really stand a chance against the shifters.

"No!" Geoff's face went a bit red at the idea. "They're just misguided. Seeing a lone shifter among us strangers probably had them thinking we kidnapped him. Imagine if a group of humans saw you with all us magical folk, they might come to a few conclusions about it."

"They'd shoot now, ask questions later." They wouldn't risk one of their own for the sake of trying to understand some misguided creatures. "Look, we don't have to kill anyone, just…you know…make it hard for them to run at us."

"I don't want to hurt them. If we hurt them they could just run off with Ray again, or worse, think all non-shifters are only out to hurt them." Geoff wanted to set a precedent for these wild shifters. He didn't want them to think all non-shifters were monsters. He glanced at Michael. "Michael, you used to be kind of like them."

Michael made a face. "Not really. I was alone. I just had no one to teach me anything from a young age. These guys have like...a little tribe set up."

"Nah, man, you were borderline feral. To be honest, it was kinda scary to be around you at times." Jack confessed.

Gavin looked at Michael as if he'd grown an extra head. His new friend had been like these monsters? He wouldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it. Gavin himself had even found feral creatures to be somewhat distasteful, but he was willing to try and put that prejudice aside for the time being.

"I was _not_." To be completely honest, Michael had forgotten a lot of what that time was like. His best memories had started after that, when he learned to trust his friends, and find peace with them. Well, as peaceful as their little group ever was. Michael suddenly felt a longing for a real dragon nest. "Whatever, we should focus on Ray." The poor cat was getting a bath by an older lion shifter.

Gavin couldn't resist a small giggle at the sight of Ray getting groomed, knowing how much Ray was probably hating it on the inside. "Well then, what are we to do? Geoff?"

"Maybe one or two of us creates a diversion." Jack suggested, "Then the other two sneak in?"

"They might be a little bit more amiable to Michael," Geoff offered up as he motioned towards Michael's scaly body. Michael wore no clothes, his scales providing all the ample cover he needed and his only human traits were walking upright and no big dragon snout- not yet anyway. "Or Jack. But Michael might be our best bet. In which case I'll sneak up and try and grab Ray. Lindsay, Gavin, you stay around the perimeter. Jack, get your bow ready. I want to keep attacking them as a last resort. Only if they attack us first."

"Yes, sir!" Gavin saluted, almost forgetting to keep his voice down. He slunk around before climbing up into a tree. He cocked his gun, the device revving with energy.

Lindsay got to her spot and put up a shield of invisibility, effectively hiding her from sight. Jack stayed fairly close to her, bow at the ready should need be.

They all looked to Geoff, waiting for the show to get on the road.

Michael was directed where Gavin could easily knock off a shot to protect him if needed. With Geoff's nod, Michael slowly emerged from the foliage, revealing himself to the shifters. This was their camp, they weren't likely to run away. They would stand and guard it. He held up his hands, trying to show he meant no harm. "You guys speak any English?"

The female of the crew stood up, standing protectively in front of her recently adopted cub. She sniffed the air, inspecting the new creature. He stunk of the others and she snarled a moment before shifting to a more human form. "Why...you...here?" Her speech was broken, slow, as if she had to think about the words that came from her mouth before speaking them.

"Michael!" Ray grunted, still housed carefully under the shifter.

Michael nodded to her and tried not to come off as threatening. "My friend." He pointed to Ray. "You took him."

"Saved him." She rebutted. "From humans." The woman was covered in tattoos, much like a pixie or fairy would've been. Her hair was blonde, cut short on the sides but long down the middle. Her eyes looked past Michael, surveying the surroundings. "Who is with you?"

"Some of my friends," Michael said, "We don't have any humans with us. Well, we have one. But he's, uh...our human." He looked over, wondering if he could get some help.

"Jack, you're less human looking than anyone else here," Geoff said, focusing on Ray. He glanced over the lovely woman and squirmed, faltering. He had to shake his head to keep himself in the game. "Put your bow down and just show yourself."

The female feral snarled as the centaur stepped into the clearing. She took a step back, spreading her arms to protect her pack.

Jack held up his hands defensively. "It's okay. None of us are under that human's control. In fact, he recently helped us save a man of magic and his familiar, which you've kidnapped, from a compound. All we're asking for is that you return our friend. We don't wish you any harm."

The woman looked shocked, turning to look back at Ray. "You are…familiar?"

Ray pointed to the silk collar around his neck. "To my friend, he's in the group, but he was injured recently."

Michael glanced over, waiting for Geoff to turn invisible and snatch Ray up, but the poor faerie seemed star struck.

Griffon shifted back to her lioness form and prowled back to Ray. "I want to see you're not lying." She picked up Ray in her mouth by the scruff, preparing to follow after Jack and Michael.

Ray grunted, not enjoying being carried like a helpless kitten. Unfortunately, this shifter was much larger than him and he didn't really have a choice.

Michael turned back to check up on Geoff, but he was gone. Had he gone invisible? "Great timing," he muttered. "We have three others with us right now," he said, motioning over to Lindsay and Gavin. Michael made a face for Gavin to drop his gun down.

Gavin grumbled as he put away his weapon. He and Lindsay shared an uneasy look before stepping into the open. "Alright, let's go." Gavin suggested awkwardly before starting to walk towards camp, uneasy about having the giant shifter behind him.

"Where the hell is Geoff?" Michael hissed to Gavin, motioning to where Geoff was supposed to be. He looked over his shoulder at the shifter and sighed. "Alright, let's...go." They didn't want to risk losing Ray again.

The feral walked proudly amongst the others, Ray held carefully between her teeth. As they approached the camp, they saw Ryan passed out against a tree. He'd been trying to cast magic while they were gone, but it was still backfiring, hurting him.

Ray made a little noise of distress as he saw Ryan, struggling to get free from the shifter's grip. He slipped out and darted over to Ryan, jumping into his lap and pawing at his chest. "Ryan! Ryan!"

Ryan opened his eyes, a sigh of relief escaping him when he saw that Ray was back safe and sound. "Good to have you back, buddy." He noticed the bit of spittle on the back or Ray's neck and looked up, surprised to see that the feral shifter was back.

"She thought I got kidnapped by humans," Ray cleared up, glancing over his shoulder. "And I guess Geoff disappeared." The faerie had yet to reappear.

The feral seemed intrigued by the fact that the two shared such a profound bond. She slowly shifted to her humanoid form, her fur keeping her mostly decent. Her tail flicked as she looked around the group, her eyes growing softer. "You are…friends?"

Ray turned and nodded to her, shifting to his human form beside Ryan. "Yeah, Ryan saved me a long time ago." He pointed to the collar around his neck and easily took it off, though he was loathe to do it. "I choose to stay with him. See?"

Gavin was more surprised that Ray was able to remove the collar. People at the compounds had tried to remove familiar collars in the past but had been unable no matter what tools they used. He chalked it up to the bond.

She reached up and ran her clawed fingers over the shiny gold pendant. "Saved…" She looked up at the rest of the group. “I am Griffon. I want to come with you."

Ray nodded and clipped the collar back over his neck. "Ryan saved me, we're friends. I'm his familiar because I trust him, and because he's important to me." He didn't want to rock the boat, but he was glad he was back with Ryan. He felt safer.

"Wait, wait, wait, did you say you want to come with us?" Jack looked around, wondering if anyone else had heard that. "Where the hell is Geoff?" He needed someone else with their head on straight around here.’

"Where _is_ Geoff?" Michael asked, looking around. He grunted as he was shoved forward onto his face. Well, that answered that question. "Dammit, Geoff!"

Ray sighed and looked up at her. “So your name is Griffon? What about your friends?"

She shook her head. Shifters were fairly solitary by nature, but circumstances forced them to work together for survival. Besides, these new creatures fascinated her. She sniffed around, stalking around on all fours. She could smell another creature, but she couldn't see one.

Geoff squawked as Griffon came up close to him and he flickered in and out of visibility.

"Found him!" Michael shouted as he dove on top of Geoff. "Come on you asshole! Show yourself!"

Griffon looked over the tattooed man, eyes lighting up. She pointed to her own tattoos, grinning. "Like me!" She had grown up as an adopted child of the fae, but they'd abandoned her when she became too difficult to hide any longer.

Geoff froze up and made a few noises that sounded something like words, before he disappeared once more, his face absolutely red.

"Dammit, Geoff! What's up with him?" Michael puffed up his cheeks. Normally Geoff was all for meeting new people and at least making an effort to be friendly with them.

Jack smiled knowingly, "I wouldn't worry too much about it, Michael. I know it's something you're still struggling to grasp, but I think you need to let Geoff figure this one out."

"Well, if we're done horsing around, no offense Jack." Lindsay offered up, "Maybe we could pack up and move on. We may have an insider now, but I'd like to put distance between us and that pack of shifters."

"Wait, so…we're bringing along this creature…that not half an hour ago wanted to kill us… How the _hell_ does that seem reasonable!?" Gavin was flabbergasted by his companions. They were nowhere near this trusting with him. Which, in hindsight, was understandable.

"I highly doubt she wanted to kill you," Ray said, motioning towards Griffon. "I mean, she just asked to come with us. Plus, her intentions, while misguided, were good. She's one of us."

Ray was actually excited to have another shifter on board. While shifters weren't particularly specialized in magic, they didn't often need groups or mentors to teach them the skills they needed to survive. Although, it was still nice to find someone that shared common ground. “And I think Geoff likes her.”

He was rewarded with a pleasant rock thrown at his head.

"Be nice." Jack scolded, folding his arms and flicking his tail.

"Sure. Let’s let her join. We could always use another wolf in our pack." Their group had almost doubled in size over the past couple weeks after having been the same size for years. Plus, Ryan was too tired to find a reason not to.

"We should still try to put some distance between us and that pack though," Michael said, agreeing with Lindsay. "Better they don’t think we're encroaching on their territory."

Everyone agreed, silently packing up. Jack helped Griffon slip on a backpack. She squirmed in it distastefully, but understood she would have to share the load.

Ryan was still a bit weak, but he refused to be carried any longer. He picked up a long branch, fashioning it into wooden staff to help him walk.

Ray took on part of Ryan's load, sharing it with Jack and Gavin. He stuck close to his master. The only way they knew Geoff was still with them was that his load of packs floated along beside Jack as it usually did- although usually with a visible person under it.

Jack gave Geoff an incredulous look. "You know, just because you're invisible, doesn't mean "we" don't know you're there. Really now, this is such foal-like, erm…whatever young fae call themselves-like behavior. The hell's gotten into you?" Well, he was pretty sure he knew what was going on with Geoff. But he didn't get where this shyness was coming from.

"Shut up!" Geoff flickered in and out of existence. "And for your information, we call our children _fauntlings_. Thank you very much." He caught Griffon's eyes and his face went red; he disappeared again.

"Alright, shit. Touchy." Jack turned away smirking. "You know, you could try _talking_ to her. She won't bite. Well, anymore than she already has."

"What are you talking about?" Geoff huffed, turning up his nose despite how Jack couldn't even see him. "I mean, why would I want to talk to her? I mean, shit... I'm sure she's a perfectly nice lady, I just don't think right now is the appropriate time.

Jack had nothing more to say on the subject, just smiling in the direction his friend was before turning forward again. Up ahead, Gavin was walking stiffly alongside the feral shifter. She seemed to be keen to keep her eye on him, but her defensiveness soon turned to pure curiosity.

"Got an admirer?" Ray mused, raising his eyebrows as he watched Gavin squirm under Griffon's gaze.

"Of course he doesn't!" Geoff squawked, without being asked. He yelped quietly as Griffon turned to look at him, quickly turning invisible, only to realize that his arm was still completely visible.

"I think she's just making sure he's on our side." Ryan smirked as he watched Geoff get insensibly jealous over Gavin's uncomfortable situation. He leaned over and whispered in Ray's ear. "I can't be the only one who wants to mess with them."

"Totally," Ray concluded. "Have anything specific in mind?" Locking Geoff in a room with Griffon sounded pretty fun right about then. With all the tiny pranks Geoff pulled on them throughout the day it would feel good to have something under their belts.

Ryan also wanted to tease Gavin a bit. "Nothing yet. I'm sure we'll think of something." He ruffled Ray's hair as a slightly evil chuckle escaped his throat. He didn't want to play around with Geoff's heartstrings too much. Jealousy was rarely funny, if ever.

Ray got to working, little cogs turning in his head. He would find some way to work a prank into this silly situation.

Geoff was still trying to figure out what was going on with his invisibility, while Michael got fed up and jumped into the air. "I'm going scouting."

“Michael, wait! Take me with you!" He got an irritated growl from Michael, but ultimately the dragon complied, letting Gavin hop on his back before soaring on up ahead. The dragon's wings were getting stronger every day.

Griffon watched the two fly off, chasing on the ground for a moment before stopping and sitting on her haunches, tail waving lazily. She cocked her head before turning to Ray. "Why a human?"

"Stumbled upon him." She didn't seem nearly as bad as he had perceived before, when she had snatched him up. Just protective, it seemed. "He helped me get back to Ryan, and then he just sort of...stayed with us." Though there had been a few rocky bits... Ray decided not to say anything about it, but nor would he advocate for Gavin's great fearlessness or honor.

"Did all of you stumble when you met?" Griffon frowned, unhappy with her limited vocabulary. "I want to know how you met. Tell the story." She smiled, tail flicking expectantly. She liked listening to others talk; she learned a lot just by listening.

Ray shrugged. "I met Ryan first." He glanced over his shoulder at Ryan, getting his nod of approval before going on, "So, I guess the story starts when I was running for my life...”


	10. Fox and the Hound (Witch and the Cat)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who doesn't love a backstory?

Ray limped to the side of the road where he could drop into one of the ditches, hiding from humans that had taken no time shooting him in the hip. His haunch was bleeding profusely around the flint lodged in his side. He huddled tight under the dry reeds, listening to them shout about how they had to "find the monster!"

Troops were running around, searching for their lost quarry, struggling to find the tiny kitten in the thick underbrush.

A couple of scouts were closing in on Ray's location when there was a sudden burst of bright light. The guards flew back from the force, temporarily blinded. A pair of hands scooped up the injured creature, holding him to their broad chest as the savior booked it out of the area.

Ray didn't even have the energy to defy his savior. A weak little hiss escaped him, though he clung to the arms holding him, claws digging in. He was afraid of being dropped, and more afraid of being caught by the humans. He squirmed, feeling the very human-looking arms rubbing against his fur. He'd never been touched by a human before. He hissed and spat, though didn't let go.

After running a few minutes, the young man put up a barrier, hiding them from scouts. They were hidden in the densest part of the woods amongst the bushes. Ryan shrugged off his cloak and laid it on the ground. He placed the kitten on his cloak, watching as blood started to soak it.

"Shit…" Ryan furrowed his brow, focusing his magic, biting his lip. Sure he was great at destructive magic, but healing was far more difficult. He pressed his hands to the wound, not letting anything cloud his thoughts as he healed Ray.

Ray hissed and scratched at Ryan, arching his back. He struggled to get to his feet, only to wobble and fall over. He was cornered and scared, he didn't even notice that Ryan was trying to heal him. All he knew was that Ryan looked like a human, and humans were _bad_.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not healed yet." Ryan held up his hands, trying to show Ray that he meant no harm. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you." He brought his hands down slowly, letting magic dance between his hands. "I'm like you."

Ray was still growling, but he calmed down enough for Ryan to continue healing him. He was breathing hard, shaking under Ryan's hand. He mewled pitifully as his aching side was slowly healed. He meowed again, feeling a piece of flint still stuck inside.

Ryan stopped, cursing to himself. He turned to his bag and started rummaging. He found the first aid kit he'd swiped a couple months back and started looking through it until he found the flimsy tweezers. "Alright…this might sting a bit…" He blew fire magic on them, disinfecting them.

Ray mewled pitifully once more, hissing , though not quite directed at Ryan. He whimpered and sniffled, pawing at Ryan's coat beneath him. He screeched as the tweezers picked at him.

Ryan winced as he pried the shard from Ray's hip, tossing the piece away before using his healing magic once more to close up the wound. "There you go." Ryan smiled, satisfied that he had successfully healed someone. "Does it hurt still?"

Ray hissed, more for his own comfort than to really instill fear into Ryan. He curled up on top of Ran's coat, tail over his nose. He was still shaking, out of fear. He had been sure he was about to die.

Ryan sat down, looking down at the kitten with a bit of worry. "You cold? Hungry?" He reached into his bag and pulled out a water skin and some jerky, waiting for a response from the tiny creature.

Ray meowed and slowly shifted up onto his wobbly legs. He stepped forward, sniffing the meat. He nibbled at it and pulled it between his paws to tear at the pieces.

Ryan smiled a bit, relieved to see the kitten take the food. "I'm Ryan." He paused, letting the kitten eat, "What's your name? Where are you from?" He didn't look to be that old either.

Ray didn't speak at first, finishing up his meal first. He licked his paws clean, looking warily up at Ryan. "I'm Ray," he meowed, licking his whiskers.

Ryan tilted his head, wavy hair falling across his forehead. "Where's your family? Your pack?" He'd probably be able to take him back to them. They deserved to be reunited with their son.

Ray's ears lay flat against his head. "They're dead." He had been fighting on his own for a few weeks, and it was beginning to show on his ribs.

"O-Oh…um…well…" Ryan pushed his hair back out of his face. "I'm sorry for your loss." He avoided looking at the kitten for a moment before clearing his throat and speaking up again. "You can stay with me if you want."

"Maybe for a couple days." Ray didn't want to get too attached. He lapped at some water and curled up on top of Ryan's coat once more, letting out a little sigh, body deflating with his exhale. The coat was comforting.

Ryan looked at the tiny kitten on his massive cloak; typical of a cat. He made himself comfortable on the ground, leaning back against a stump and idly playing with his magic until he felt tired enough to sleep.

\--

When Ray awoke he stretched and looked over at Ryan. He was grateful to the other for saving his life, beyond grateful, but he had no idea how to go about it. He didn't think Ryan would appreciate a dead bird next to him when he awoke. Or perhaps he would? But any birds Ray managed to catch would go right to his stomach. He trotted over to Ryan and curled up beside him, hoping at least his comfort would be enough.

Ryan blinked his eyes open at the feeling of a little pocket of warmth against his side. He smiled before letting his eyes close again. The kid seemed sweet; malnourished and pretty skittish, but harmless all the same. He'd been struck by the cruelty of the world, and Ryan would do what he could to set the kid on the right path. He would've given anything to have had someone that would've done that for him when he was young.

Ray perked up as Ryan moved and lifted his head. "So where are you going? What are you? Are you from that compound? I haven't met any other magic folk." Not any that weren't territorial of course.

"Well, aren't we talkative this morning," a good sign. He opened his bright eyes again. "To answer your questions: I'm going wherever humans aren't; yes, I was, but I escaped; and I am a being of magic." He waved his hand, and orangey trail of glittery magic flowing between his fingers.

"I got that part. What _are_ you?" Ray tilted his head and tried not to appear interested as he cleaned his paws.

Ryan sighed, "I'm…a wizard, I suppose. Witch? Wizard?" Neither word sounded particularly cool or appropriate, but it defined his designation well enough. "Either way, I wave my fingers and stuff happens. Now," he leaned in a little bit, "what are you?"

"I'm a shifter. I haven't chosen my other three forms yet, this is the only one I can use yet."  Ray looked down at himself. "Before they died my parents were going to help me choose, but it never came to that."

"Why not try a human form. It'll help you blend in in sticky situations right?" Ryan hadn't met many shifters. They were usually kept in another part of the compound. He was kind of excited to see their abilities in action.

Ray shrugged, ears twitching. "I guess I could try. What should I look like?" He'd only ever seen a few humans before, and none of them had been particularly good looking in his opinion. His gift as a shifter gave him the ability to be handsome, and he was going to take it. It took a lot of energy taking on a new form- hence why shifters practiced three or four permanent shifts that they assumed as their identities.

Ryan watched as Ray began to shift. He was bubbling with excitement on the inside to see what the shifter would look like as a human. Would he take on an appearance similar to Ryan's? Ryan's ego hoped so.

Ray finally perfected the last details into his human form. He was slightly basing it off a young human he had seen in the town he had been eating trash out of. "How does it look?" It took a lot of energy to pull himself together like that.

Ryan looked down at the lanky kid that sat before him. The only thing that might've given him away were the eyes, which were still somewhat animalistic in nature. "You look human. …How's it feel? The whole bipedal thing."

Ray was slow to his feet but he wasn't as wobbly as he thought he would be. He moved around a bit and shrugged. "It's alright I guess. I'm not proud of this, but maybe it'll help to practice."

“Nah you look fine. You're still young, so your appearance is probably going change as you grow." Ryan sat back again, "what forms do you want to take next, you think?"

"I don't know. Maybe something that flies. I have time to think about it." Ray exhaled and made a noise, slowly shifting back to his cat form. "I'll get more used to it."

"I'm sure you will." Ryan went back to practicing his magic. They were going to have quite a bit of free time on their hands until the scouts gave up. He busied his time with trying to summon flowers just outside their shield into his hands, but with little success. After about 20 minutes he had a pile of shredded plant matter before him.

"You're not very good at this are you?" Ray asked, his nose scrunching up. He was glad Ryan had actually managed to heal him.

"I'm good at a lot of things. Summoning is not one of them." He created a ball of fire between his palms, making it twist and writhe into various shapes. He killed the fire, bringing his hands together. When he brought them apart butterflies flew forth. "I can create and destroy, but I suck at relocating existing things. I’m also not the best at healing, but I’m getting better." It was why he couldn't just poof the bullet out or teleport them out of the situation. He could've easily made it worse, like accidentally removing a kidney when trying to remove the bullet, or leaving their skeletons behind while teleporting. Messy.

"Well, you've got time to figure it out," Ray said. He decided to curl up right next to Ryan's leg. Not quite touching him, but definitely within petting distance. He'd decided that if Ryan had healed him he was at least trustworthy.

Ryan kind of liked having someone next to him while he practiced. It was relaxing. For the first time in what felt like forever he didn't feel bitter loneliness. Even if the kid left in a few days, Ryan was grateful that he was here now.

Ray perked up when the sun started to go down. His stomach growled. He glanced up and saw an owl leaping off a branch. His ears twitched. "Maybe that would be a nice form..."

"It takes a lot of energy to do that, right? A new form?" Ryan had given up on summoning and was having fun making little elemental golems fight each other.

"Yeah, it really tires me out." Ray shrugged and watched the owl float off into the sky. "Maybe I'll try tomorrow. I like that one."

"Think you're gonna try and shift to something bigger? Something ferocious? Something fast?" He watched with delight as one elemental finally managed to defeat the other.

"I don't see why I would need to. If I'm going to have a human form isn't that ferocious enough?" Whether his dry humor was intended or not, it was still funny. "I could be a bear." No one messed with bears.

Ryan chuckled at Ray's joke. "Humans are indeed ferocious, but in all the wrong ways. I think a bear would be, uh, the better choice here." Ryan pried his bag open, "While you're deciding, how about some dinner?"

Ray hopped up and trotted over to where Ryan was reaching into his bag. "Food sounds good, what do you have?" He was a growing boy; he needed his food.

"Uhhh…some jerky, couple cans of food…half a bag of stale pretzels… It ain't much. Gonna need to go 'shopping' again soon." He frowned at the pitiful supply.

"What about hunting?" Ray asked, picking some of the jerky and tearing at it. In his smaller forms he could eat less and wouldn't deplete their supply of food nearly as much.

"I've only been able to catch birds and squirrels and shit… Good for one meal, but that’s about it." Plus squirrels were kinda gross tasting. "I'll see what I can scrounge up tomorrow, but we need to get moving."

"I can help," he meowed, licking his paws and cleaning his whiskers. "I can catch birds, and mice, and voles."

"Well then we'll never go hungry again." Ryan split a can of soup open, warming it in his hands before placing it before Ray. "Until then, eat up."

Ray put both paws on the can before he lapped it up, licking his chops with every bite. He was delighted to find little chunks of meat here and there like a present. "Why is it in a container?"

"I nabbed a scout's pack and it had a bunch of packaged food inside. Humans, and human presenting beings such as myself, put food in these things so it'll last a long time." He opened his own can, heating it before tilting his head back, the soup soothing his nerves.

"That makes it a lot easier than going out and hunting for a meal," Ray commented, looking around as he picked out pieces of meat from the can.

"That's why I prefer stealing from scouts. Plus canned chicken soup tastes better than burnt squirrel." He shook the can, getting the last of the carrot and celery chunks.

Ray had a full stomach and carefully curled up beside Ryan with a little huff. A very tiring day, if he did say so himself.

Ryan looked down at Ray, reaching out a hand tentatively. He pulled back for a moment before letting his hand gently scratch behind Ray's ears.

Ray didn't object. In fact, he purred, ears twitching. He rolled onto his side, tail twitching as Ryan gave him some head scritches. It felt good. He definitely wouldn't mind that becoming a regular thing.

Ryan chuckled down at the tiny cat, continuing to pet and scratch the kitten. He was afraid Ray would reject the touch, but he supposed that an orphaned kid wouldn't be so reluctant for a bit of attention.

Ray meowed and wiggled, until he was laying comfortably against Ryan's leg as he purred. His tail twitched and he kneaded his paws into the ground.

Ryan slowed his hand down as it went down the cat's back. "You know, it'd be kinda nice having a traveling companion. Whaddya say, Ray? Wanna stick around a little longer?"

Ray couldn't see why he should say no. He nodded and smiled at Ryan. "I don't see why not. Let's stick together for a bit." He liked the sound of that. He could have food security for a bit, and more petting.

Ryan nodded, pleased to finally have someone to travel with. They would undoubtedly benefit from one another, even if just a little bit. Besides, it was safer than traveling alone. The kitten continued to purr as he was pet some more, curling up and falling asleep. He felt safe enough to close both eyes around Ryan. The young man saw the display of trust and smiled, turning his head back out over the horizon. Soon his eyes fell shut and he fell asleep.

In the middle of the night Ray awoke cold and groggy. He got up and jumped up onto Ryan's chest, making himself comfortable on top of the warm man. Better he was close and huddled up than cold and detached.

Ryan startled awake until he figured out what was going on. He was thankful to see it was just Ray repositioning himself. "Everything alright?"

Ray grunted and tipped his tail over his nose, the only answer he gave was a quiet, mumbled, "'s cold." before he tried to drift right back off to sleep.

Ryan wrapped his cloak around the both of them, putting a little extra fabric around Ray. "Better?" It was getting cold at night. Maybe he should start a fire to keep them warm.

Ray grunted, not wanting to appear too eager. Of course, he just snuggled up closer to Ryan, a gentle purr resonating through his body.

Ryan quickly fell asleep again, feeling fatigued. Keeping the shield up was taking its toll. It was slowly bleeding him of his magic reserves, but he had to be sure the scouts were gone.

\--

In the morning Ray was up and about catching birds and mice. Or attempting to anyway. The last meal had given him the energy he needed after a good nap to catch some unsuspecting small critters.

Ryan had to drop the shield for a bit, starting up a fire to keep them warm as it got cooler and to cook whatever Ray brought back. He looked around nervously, making sure they wouldn't get caught.

Ray trotted back with a few birds and mice, plopping down by the fire thoroughly exhausted. What he had might not fill Ryan's belly, but he was too tuckered out from jumping around and pinning little animals to get up and try again.

"Thanks Ray." He patted the boy's head before preparing the meat for cooking. His stomach was grumbling angrily as the meat cooked. He'd save the canned food for later. Ray had worked hard to bring him food, and he'd be damned if he ignored that.

Ray mewled and wove in between Ryan's legs, rubbing against him for friction before he plopped down beside the fire for warmth. He had already had a few mice for breakfast, so it was all for Ryan.

Ryan ate it without so much as flinching, sitting in silence as he chewed. "You know," he finally said, "we should probably get moving soon. Won't be safe here much longer."

Ray whined, but slowly rose to his feet and shook himself up from his nose to his tail. "I'm ready whenever you are." The hood of Ryan's cloak looked especially warm and comfy. But he had a feeling if he asked to ride in it he might not be accommodated.

Ryan finished packing up his stuff, slipping the backpack on. "How's your wound feeling?" He wouldn't make Ray walk for god knows how long if the poor boy was fatigued or in pain.

"It's feeling alright. You did a good job. It aches a little." He was just tired from hunting all morning. But a warm, full belly was setting him right.

"Here, I'll give you a ride." But just this once, Ryan told himself. The boy was old enough to carry himself. He picked the cat up and set him on his shoulder, leaving the shifter to get comfortable on his own.

Ray went right for Ryan's hood. He plopped right in and curled up with a loud purr, making himself comfortable. Hanging in the hood was like being wrapped up in a blanket and rocked to sleep. "This is great."

"Glad you think so." Ryan hiked up his bag and deactivated the glamour he had on their hiding spot. He looked around before deciding to follow the tree line until they were no longer able to see the towering menace of the compound.

Ray took a nice catnap before waking up and slowly emerging from Ryan's hood. He wiggled out and jumped to the ground. "That was comfortable."

"You good to walk?" Ryan shifted his cloak to better conceal his scar. While he didn't mind carrying the kitten, the back of his neck had been getting uncomfortably warm. The kitten was like a little furry, purring furnace.

"I'm fine. Maybe I should practice being a human for a little bit." Ray shifted back to his human form. It came easier this time, but it still sapped a lot of energy. Luckily that power nap had pumped him up.

Ryan looked at the naked boy walking beside him. "Yeah, that's not gonna gather attention." He took his robe off and draped it around Ray. "We'll have to nab some clothes for you." He could probably make some clothes, but he'd need time and energy to make something like that.

Ray made a little noise. He'd never worn clothes before. "This is weird." Maybe he would have to get used to wearing clothes if he was going to disguise himself as a human.

"Well, it's weird for a human to be walking around naked." Plus the implications of a twenty-something walking around with a naked boy were...not good. "I'll get you something better. Maybe try and enchant them if I have the time and the energy. "

"Ones that I could wear as a human but not as an animal?" Ray perked up at the idea. He hated the idea of cloth on his fur.

"I'll uh, I'll see what I can do." It'd be tricky, and it'd probably take a few tries, but Ryan was pretty sure he'd be able to manage.

As the sun began to set, the pair made camp. Ray's catch of the day sat cooking over a fire as Ryan tried to figure out how to enchant Ray's clothes.

Ray went hunting again, filling himself up on mice and returning to Ryan with another mole. "It's not much, but it's something."

"It's all appreciated. Thanks, Ray." He took the tiny creature and got to work preparing them before adding it alongside the nearly cooked lizard. "I think I've got the enchantment figured out. I don't have clothes for you yet, but I tried it out on my cloak. Give it a whirl."

Ray shifted to his human form and took the cloak, clipping it on. He took some time to shift between his cat and his human form with a little noise, delighted to find the cloak disappeared when he shifted to a cat and reappeared on himself as a human.

Ryan grinned with a bit of smug self-satisfaction. He'd been working hard to get it right. "I'm glad it works. You can hang onto that cloak till we find you something new, but I'll want it back.” He tried to hide his scars behind a glamour charm, but it wouldn't last forever.

"It's alright, this form still tires me out." He removed the cloak and handed it back, shifting back to his cat form. "It's getting easier, but it's still tiring."

"I getchya. It's like me and my magic. Can't keep it flowing permanently," yet. He had been deemed a powerful wizard by the scientists at the compound. If he were to reach his full potential, he could be unstoppable. Alas, he had no one but himself to help unlock those possibilities.

"I kind of wish we were able to shift infinitely," Ray said, scrunching up his nose. "But at the same time just thinking about it makes me really tired."

"Well, who knows? You've got to push yourself before you can say how far you can or cannot go." Ryan shrugged, "Give it time. I'm sure you'll be a great shifter."

"Well, most shifters can barely manage three forms, let alone four or five." Four was usually the max for an average shifter. His parents had told him of a couple who could manage six; an amazing feat to achieve.

"Don't put so much pressure on yourself. You're young, you've got all the time in the world." Well, as long as they weren't killed or captured and thrown into compounds.

"Maybe." Ray shrugged, trying not to think about the other alternatives. "A bear would be nice." But usually once they shifted to something it took up a slot in their shifting memory.

"Only time will tell." Ryan looked on ahead, hoping that they'd find some water soon; they were running low. "Which way should we go you think?"

"What about towards the mountain?" Ray offered, looking over. "I mean, it's barren, but there might be something on the other side. Or maybe we could just settle at the base. No one would come towards us, right? The mountain is dangerous."

"Sounds good." Ryan settled back down. "We'll head that way at first light. See what's out there just waiting to try and kill us."


	11. Jack's Nightmare

Ray was flying through the forest in his owl form, out on a regular scouting mission to make sure he and Ryan were still in a safe area. He squawked as an arrow shot passed him, barely missing his wing. He tumbled down to the ground, shifting to his cat form.

Ryan ran up to Ray, checking him over for a moment before an arrow went whizzing past him, ruffling his hair. "Shit!" He stood up and put up a barrier, "Woah, woah, what the hell?" Though it was no major surprise. A lot of magical beings were sensitive to anyone marching through their territory.

Ray shifted to his human form, looking around for the offender. "Who's there?" he called out, pulling his scarf up nervously. He didn't like being in dangerous situations. He could fly away, Ryan couldn't.

"We're not here to harm you! …Whoever you are… We were just trying to escape the scouts—" Ryan tried to explain but he was cut off by a voice that sounded alarmingly like his own.

"Yeah, right! Escaping them? Motherfucker, you brought them here!" A centaur stepped out from behind a tree, bow drawn tight. "Get the fuck out of here."

Ray moved in front of Ryan instinctively, seeing the bow drawn. "Ryan, we should just go." He could still hear the scouts. He tried not to think too hard about it. They had to leave.

"Look, we're sorry, we didn't know there was anyone in the area. We'll be going now." Ryan refused to let Ray be his shield and took him by the shoulders and started to lead him away. Suddenly there were bullets zinging past. Warning shots; the scouts were here.

Ray squawked and yanked Ryan along, shifting to his owl form to lead the way. He made sure not to leave his companion behind, of course. He gave a look back to the centaur, wondering what he would do. He'd surely be caught if he wasn't careful.

"Ray, run! I'll be fine, just go!" Ryan tried to hurry Ray off to make sure he'd be alright. He turned to the centaur, "Run! I'll handle this!" Ryan waved his hands, collecting magic around his hands as he prepared to fight.

The bearded centaur's hooves stamped the ground as he prepared to run, but he drew his bow, helping the wizard defend his tiny house.

Ray squawked again, making a face as he found Ryan wasn't following him. "Ryan!" He perched on Ryan's shoulder, then gripped his hood. "We need to _go_."

"They'll just keep following us if we don't do something! Just go! I have an idea, and it doesn't involve you getting shot!" Fire began to swirl around his hands as scouts took position behind trees.

Ray made a small noise of distress, but did as Ryan told him and flew off into the trees. He stopped and watched from the comfort of a small nest that had been vacated due to the noise.

Ryan sent fire into the trees, trying to flush them out and keep them back.

Jack was instantly distressed, watching his forest burn, some of the fire spreading to his garden. It'd only be a matter of minutes before his home was destroyed. He took out the boiling rage on the scouts, shooting to incapacitate.

Ray made little distressed noises from where he was, watching the forest burn. He was not happy at all. How would they put it out once the scouts had gone?

Ryan made sure that the scouts were no longer shooting. He summoned a storm of rain to put out the fire before it became a serious threat to the area before he turned and fled, the centaur not far off. He looked to his side and saw the burning house, a sudden deep sadness washing over him.

Ray dove down, coming level with Ryan. "Ryan!" He perched on his shoulder and glanced back, seeing the smoldering embers still fighting against the rain. "Are you sure the rain will fix it?"

"It'll dampen it enough so it won't spread. It's not the best situation, but we've got our—" Ryan skidded to a stop when an angry centaur appeared before him.

" _You_. You destroyed my home, my life. You've ruined everything! No one came around here until you showed up!" Jack stamped his feet, pawing at the ground angrily.

Ray fluttered back out of fear at the centaur, but quickly dove right back in, flapping his wings and squawking when the centaur got too close, as a warning to stay back.

"Ray, Ray, stop. He's right." He took hold of Ray and held him to his chest. "Look, I'm really, really sorry. I'll try and make it right, but I can't do it here. We need to keep moving."

Jack pondered this for a second, rearing up in frustration before stamping his feet again. "Fine, dick. Hop on my back, we'll move faster that way."

Ray wasn't so sure how on board he was with this. "Ryan, we don't know him!" It was definitely better than a _human_ but it was still difficult to trust people out in the wilderness, even if they _were_ magic folk.

Ryan thought it actually best not to deny the demands of a pissed off centaur with a bow and arrow when he himself was starting to feel the fatigue of a depleted mana well. He hopped on Jack's back and held onto the straps that held the quiver in place.

Jack rode off in a hurry, fueled by his anger. They rode until they reached the base of the mountains where the ground was no longer level. Jack reared and unceremoniously dumped the two onto the ground.

Ray landed on his feet in his cat form and pounced on top of Ryan to make sure he was okay. He checked him over, pawing at his bones to make sure none were broken before he leered at Jack. He didn't say anything. The centaur could squish him like a bug if he so desired.

"Alright…I deserved that. Thanks though." Ryan sat up, magic healing what would've become bruises before they could blossom. "I'm Ryan. This is Ray. Can I ask your name?"

The centaur sighed, "Jack. My name's Jack."

Ray found himself a little more willing to trust Jack if he had a name. If he had a name he at least trusted them with that. He shifted to his human form, behind Ryan, keeping a close eye on the centaur. "How have you never been found?"

"I've done a lot of running. Most patrols don't come to areas as dead as this." Plus he always kept his home in such a way that it looked abandoned: moss on his shack, overgrown grass around his food garden, and he always carefully hid his hoof prints.

Ray didn't think someone as big as Jack could hide themselves so well. Ryan needed his cover most of the time. Ray shifted about easily enough, but the scouts were often suspicious of animals. "How long were you there?"

"I come and go between the seasons, but I called that place home for about 3 years." Really, he should be thankfully it had lasted even half that long. It pained him to see his reasonable comfort gone at the hands of two idiots, but staying furious with them would solve nothing. "Where are you from?"

"All over, but around here," Ray said, taking a look around. They were a long ways away from the compound.

Ryan looked over Jack and immediately he could tell that the guy had never been subjected to the horror of the compound, and for that he was glad. Still, there was lingering loneliness in Jack's eyes. Ryan reached in his pack and offered Jack his water skin. "I bet you're thirsty."

Jack took it gladly, taking a long drink before moving the nozzle away from his lips with a satisfied sigh. "Thanks," he burped, "I needed that."

"If we're going to be out in this barren land we need to figure out some way to find food and water," Ray called from where he was inspecting over a dune. He pulled his scarf up over his nose, keeping dust from getting into his mouth.

"We won't be staying here long, but it's getting dark. Best to hole up for the night." Ryan cracked his fingers before beginning to put up a shield.

Ray settled himself on top of a rock for vantage point. "I'll take first watch." While he wasn't especially good at being a first wave attacker he was definitely a good alarm system.

Jack got to work getting a fire started. It was chilly out, and the winter months were fast approaching. "We gonna eat or..?"

"I didn't hunt before we had to flee... And we left a lot of our supplies behind." Supplies that were stolen, but still. "I can go hunting but I don't know what's around here. Maybe some snakes."

"Sorry, I don't eat meat on principle." Jack appreciated the offer, but declined. He'd grown up feeling it was wrong to consume animal flesh while he himself had the body of a horse. "I'll scrounge for some vegetables." He stood up, tail flicking with irritation.

Ray seemed a little confused about that, but growing up as a cat he was a true carnivore, and as an owl that was all he could eat too. "So I'm just hunting for me and Ryan. Got it." He shifted to his owl form and took to the skies to start hunting.

And thus, Ryan was left to his thoughts. He looked through his bag, frustrated that a few cans had gone missing again. It only happened every so often, but it was still irksome.

Ray returned with a snake and two mice, but the pickings were slim. "Sorry I couldn't get more," he said, looking at the pitiful pile. It wasn’t exactly a feast.

"We'll be fine for tonight Ray. You did good for such a barren area." Ryan took the critters and prepared them to be roasted.

Jack returned not long after with a couple potatoes, some dandelion, and a small sack of elderberries he'd picked. "Well…it's not great, but it'll do."

"If it makes you feel better I didn't catch much either," Ray said, shrugging. "At least you get all that to yourself."  Of course, feeding a grown centaur meant it didn't go very far either.

Ryan was looking through his bag. He could've sword there was more food in there. He tossed it aside with frustration. "Well, we'll have to get accustomed to meager meals the next few days. We'll be high on their radars; won't be able to steal food too easily."

Ray nodded and nibbled at the snake meat. "I'll do my fair share of hunting." He was glad to help out. "Sorry I can't hunt for you too, Jack. I can help you forage, though."

"I appreciate the thought, Ray, but as soon as these assholes go back to their bases, I'm heading home to see what I can salvage." Maybe Mr. Magic could help him put his home back together. "Why don't you just summon food or something? I thought wizards could do that."

"You don't want to ask Ryan to summon things," Ray snickered, licking his paws. He wiggled down into a good sleeping position.

Ryan flicked a bit of magic at Ray, snow hitting him on his flank. He sniggered before getting comfortable as well. "Wish I could summon food, but I'm afraid its not exactly one of my talents."

Ray squeaked but did nothing but playfully bat at the air in Ryan's general direction. He licked his fur here the snow hit before curling back up with a purr, his tail tucking over his nose as he settled down for the night.

Ryan fell asleep not too long after, but Jack remained awake. He tended to the fire and watched the horizon. These two had clearly gotten used to relying on Ryan's shield, but Jack was still not so trusting.

\--

Ray was up in the morning and getting more curious about Jack. He jumped up onto his back and patted him. "So you're a centaur? I've never met one before."

Jack looked back at the shifter sat upon his back. "Yup. We're not too common anymore. Historically, we were hired to pull carts and caravans before everything went to shit. Compounds don't really need us, but they don't want magical creatures wandering around loose." Which meant the only other option was to kill them off.

Ray nodded and made himself comfortable on Jack's back, taking care not to knead him with his claws. "Shifters are used for security or alongside scouts, but only if we can shift into something 'useful.'"

"We shouldn’t be defined by what compounds see us as useful for. We shouldn't have to follow their classifications," Jack grumbled. As a youth, he'd always had these grand delusions of compounds being brought to justice. He'd wanted to right all their wrongs, but as he grew older he began to understand that he'd just be another fly in their windshield. "But I am curious about your other forms."

"Well, I only have two others right now. This is my original. My parents never helped me through shifting; that was all Ryan. My other form is a human and an owl. Flying is good for scouting and the human is good for blending in."

"Well good for you." Ray was perhaps slightly behind developmentally in his skills, but at no fault of his own. Ryan had done all he could to assist Ray, but sometimes there was only so much one could do. "Know what your next form will be?"

"No idea. Me and Ryan were thinking bear, but that's big and would probably attract a fuck ton of attention. I prefer being a little more compact."

Jack had more of an appreciation for the soft and tiny things. He wasn't a huge fan of the vicious, but in this world you needed fangs sometimes. "Wolverines are pretty dangerous, and they're also not huge." he would think it would be taxing for Ray to shift from something so small to something so large.

“That's...a good idea, actually." Ray liked that. Maybe he would shift to that sometime. "I've never seen a wolverine before, it might be hard for me to shift to one." Ray licked his paws and cleaned his whiskers, giving himself a good rub down. Jack was easy to talk to, if not rather intimidating at first.

Jack flicked his tail happily, small smile breaking out. Ray and Ryan really weren't so bad. They may have royally fucked him over, but they weren't bad people overall. "Well, I'm heading back home to see what I can scrounge up. It was, uh…it was nice meeting you guys."

Ray jumped down onto the ground and nodded. "Well, see ya man. We’re probably not going to be going anywhere soon. So hit us up if you want."

Jack nodded before picking up his quiver and trotting off. While he liked the two just fine, he wanted to go back to his simple, somewhat peaceful life.

Ray pounced on Ryan, kneading him with his claws. "Wake up. Dude, wake up, wake up, wake up."

Ryan grunted, rolling over onto his back. "Hmmm…what's up, Ray?" His speech was still slurred with sleep.

"Jack left," Ray said as he rolled over in Ryan's lap, expecting tummy rubs. "We should get ready and find something to eat."

Ryan sat up still groggy. "He shouldn't be going back…they'll be combing the area." He yawned, stretching out before standing up to crack his back. "Well, it's his choice in the end. Let's eat and be on our way."

"I think he can take care of himself." Ray jumped off and went to dig around in the bag for food, frowning as he found their supplies had depleted again. "How much did we eat last night?"

Ryan looked back at Ray, brow furrowing slightly. "Not that much; we had to ration. Why do you ask?"

"Because we're missing a lot more than we should be." Ray looked over his shoulder. "Someone's been stealing from us."

"Fuck, I had a feeling." Ryan looked around their camp, as if he'd see the perpetrator. "Keep a close eye on that bag, Ray. And keep that nose alert." Ryan stood up and blew magic over their camp. It was like a magical creature's way of dusting for prints: the magic would cling to the magic of the thief, leading Ryan straight to them.

"I've been noticing things go missing for a while, but I just thought you were snacking, or maybe I ate more than I thought." It hadn't been as been a problem before.

"I thought I was just losing my mind." Ryan answered honestly. Ryan saw a streak of magic swirling through their camp, looking at odd points before swooping down where their supplies had been before disappearing off again.

"What do you think it is?" Ray asked, watching Ryan track the magic. "It's magic folk, that's for sure. But how can it steal so easily from us?"

"Uhhh invisible? Amnesia spell? Superior stealth? We won't know until we find them." Ryan blew another breath of magic, following it down the slight hill.

"If they're magic folk they should know better than to steal from their own," Ray muttered under his breath. He was a little bitter about it. He followed Ryan down the hill, sniffing around. "I smell something new, but I don't know what it is."

"If they're down on their luck they won't care. There are plenty of magic folk that don't feel an extended camaraderie to all who share their strife. Honestly, Ray, if this individual is traveling alone I can't blame them for stealing our food." That didn't mean he wouldn't try to get it back, however.

Ray kept that in mind and put his nose to the ground, bounding across the rocky terrain. He meowed when he caught a real scent. "There's something down this way."

Ryan observed the pattern of the trail, estimating its destination. Little did the pair know, but they were closing in quickly. Ryan blew another puff of magic. As usual, it followed the stream until it spread out, enveloping the shape of a creature. "There!"

"Whoa..." Ray stopped as he saw the creature illuminated like someone had thrown dust on it. It looked reptilian in nature, crouched like it was unnatural on two feet. Ray totally didn't scream when it looked towards him.

Jack had finally made it back home. Well, what was left. He was starting to pick up the charred bits and throw them aside, doing his best to salvage his vegetable garden. Everything was going to be fine. Or so it should've been if Ryan and Ray didn't come running over the hills like bats out of hell. "Oh god dammit, motherfuckers!" Jack cried as he dropped his beets, booking it after the two idiots and their weird cloud of magic dust.


	12. Fair Folk are Good Folk, Scaly Folk Are Usually Hungry

"Get it, get it!" Ray crowed as he took to the air, trying to keep up. It was easier as an owl. He flew directly over the invisible creature and dropped on top of it in his human form, pinning it to the ground.

"Get _what_? You're chasing a giant blue cloud of nothing!"

"Exactly." Ryan agreed, as if that solved everything. "Jack, this guy's been stealing our food, and he's probably been stealing from you too. You can be mad at me later, but I need you to help me with this!"

Ray was grappling with the creature, which was making a rather high pitched squeaking noise as Ray held it down, legs and arms tight around it so it couldn't wriggle away.

"How do you make it not invisible?" Ray asked, yelping as the creature whipped him with its tail.

"I could knock him out. I wouldn't think he could sustain his invisibility while unconscious." His hands crackled with magic, keeping the air around him threatening. "Show youorself."

There was a moment when the thing went still in Ray's grip, and slowly someone materialized. He was, by far, larger than Ray and covered in tattoos with a gruff looking face. At least, he would look gruff if he didn't have a curled mustache. "I don't mean any harm," he said, holding up his hands. "I swear. _You_ _guys_ jumped _me_ , after all."

Ray let go, scrambling a bit. It felt odd to grapple someone larger than himself.

"Yeah, after we caught you stealing our food." Ryan reasoned, folding his arms across his chest and cocking an eyebrow. "If you can't find food, I'm not above helping you out, but if you're just doing it to be an ass, I'm less inclined."

"Look, I don't know you people! I don't know if you're hostile or friendly, and I never stuck around to find out. I'm sorry; it's hard finding food without risking the compound around here. I've been picking from the centaur’s gardens for a while, but I had to lay low! He suspected me." The creature slowly stepped back before getting to his feet. "I'm sorry, let's start over. I'm Geoff."

Jack grumbled at having had his farm taken advantage of by a freeloader. Ryan on the other hand, let out a low sigh, chuckling a bit. "Ryan, and the shifter over there is Ray. The one that looks like he's about to stamp you into a paste is Jack. We've only just met as well."

Jack was not normally so easily angered, but it'd been a frustrating couple of days. "Well, now that we're all friends, what are we gonna do about food?"

Geoff eyed Jack nervously. He looked like the one who posed the biggest threat. "I have some! I've been stocking up, I'll give it back alright? All I ask if that I get to have some."

"Why not? You're coming with us, after all." The other two gave Ryan surprised and confused looks. "He's been stealing from us for god knows how long. I think him coming with us will give him the chance to make up for it. And if we like him, he can stay."

Geoff looked both relieved and shocked. "I mean, if you think that's a good use for me I'm all good." He was already devising a cunning escape. Of course, he could omit the food. These fellows seemed like they could use it, and Geoff had many more sources. "I can even steal food from guards for you." He went invisible. "See? This is how I do it."

"We know you're good at stealing," Ryan picked Ray up, a hand under the furry belly, "and this guy is great at distractions."

Ray mewled and wiggled into a more comfortable position in Ryan's arms. "First of all, what _are_ you?" he asked, looking pointedly at Geoff.

Geoff materialized again, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm kind of far from where you'd find my kind of people is what I am. I'm a Faerie."

"Really? The only fae I've seen are...well, a lot smaller, wings. If that's a stereotype I don't mean to offend." Ryan held up his hands, signally he didn’t mean harm.

"That's sort of like assuming all centaurs look like horses from the waist down," Jack cut in. There were many different kinds: deer, zebras, okapis, moose, and so on. A few poor bastards had been the lower bodies of giraffes, though their sub-race was predicted to be extinct within the next decade.

"Yeah! Besides, we _choose_ to look like that. You can say that human lore about what we fae look like influenced most of our changes, I guess. I, uh...I assume you saw what I looked like more or less when I'm invisible, with that magic-y thing you have going on. That's what Fae _really_ look like. I _choose_ to look like this." Geoff twisted the end of his mustache, looking rather pleased with himself.

"We've started moving out of the forests lately. Humans are invading those places and cutting down more trees than we thought was safe. So I ended up being one of us that left. And...well, I ended up here. That's why I've been stealing mostly from Jack here. He has the most fresh greens."

"Damn straight I do." While he didn't approve the thievery, Jack was damn proud of his garden's quality.

Geoff shuffled his feet nervously. "How about I show you where I've been stashing the food? I don't normally hit travelers more than once, maybe twice, but... You fellas had a lot, and I didn't know when I'd get another opportunity. Food's been scarce lately, and I don't much feel like going head on towards the soldiers. They've been branching out lately."

Ryan gestured for Geoff to lead the way. Jack seemed to be the only slightly suspicious one, but he was equally curious. The three followed in silence as Geoff lead them to his hidey-hole.

Geoff had made himself a makeshift home in the crags of the hills, slithering into the rocks, invisible, and returning with a satchel full of food. "There's more in here, I've been rationing it to myself. I never know when things are gonna go south, food wise."

"Gentlemen, tonight we feast!" Ryan announced grandiosely. They'd been barely getting by food wise, and Ryan was eager to put a little more in their bellies that night.

Ray cheered, happy to have more than just a few pieces of jerky that night. Geoff unpacked his satchel and emptied out several items. He handed it off to Ryan for good measure, showing he meant to play by the rules. He looked over at Jack and grinned as he held out a carrot. "Hungry, seabiscuit?"

Jack flicked his tail in Geoff's face. "Starving." He strapped the bag over his shoulder for safekeeping. He was a big guy, needed a lot more than they'd been getting.

"Sorry about stealing from you and all. Us vegetarians have to stick together." Geoff bit into the carrot with vigor. "So, where are we going?"

"Back to camp." Ryan put Ray down for the shifter to walk on his own. "It's a bit safer and all our stuff is there."

Geoff wandered around at the tail end of the group, analyzing everyone's movements, the way they looked and walked. It looked suspicious, but Geoff didn't look like he was about to take flight or anything.

They made it back to camp and Ryan started a fire. Jack took a moment settling in, but he eventually got comfortable by the fire and took the food from his back. "I don't know about you all, but I'd be down for a good stew."

"No meat for me, thanks," Geoff piped up, peering at the camp. He had seen it, yes, but this was the first time he'd been invited. "Can you two add the meat last?"

Ray meowed in protest. "I hope this vegetarian thing isn't a permanent thing, because I'm a true carnivore. I need meat to stay healthy."

"It's their lifestyle choice. Let them be, Ray," Ryan cut in. He didn't fully understand why someone would turn down food while they were starving for the sake of belief, but he wasn't going to be forcing it down their throats. "Ray and I can have the last bits of Jerky on the side. You don't have to worry about contamination."

"Thanks! A lot better than the last folks I traveled with. Never going to travel with a werewolf again! I mean, yeesh you'd think after I asked the first time they would stop shoving dead rabbits in my face." Geoff perked up a bit as he saw the cooking supplies. "May I?"

"Of course." Ryan gestured for Geoff to go ahead and do as he pleased. "I'm gonna take a nap in the meantime." He laid back in the grass. Using his magic earlier had left him feeling a little sluggish, and the fastest way for him to rejuvenate was sleep.

"He may trust you, but I don't. I'm helping." Jack sat himself down next to Geoff, assisting him in dinner prep. The pair, who would one day become close friends, were being silently watched from a cracked eye. Ryan chuckled under his breath before rolling over onto his side, napping for real this time. Ray was watching from his perch, slowly coming down until he was sitting on Ryan's shoulder. He kept a close eye on the both of them, making sure they didn't start plotting together or anything.

"Hey, hey, I know I was stealing. But us fae are good forces." Mischievous definitely, and they often got into trouble. But never once would they purposely cause danger that couldn't be fixed. Well, at least Geoff hadn't.

\--

The little quartet of misfits were traveling just outside a lush zone. Or what would've been lush, had it not been the dead of winter. It was colder than hell, and Ryan's magic could only help keep them warm for so long before he got fatigued. Jack had a bundle of wood strapped to his back and protected from the falling snow by his cloak. They were all tired and barely paying attention to the path they were walking until a cloud of smoke rose from the tree line about a quarter mile away.

"Ray." Ryan requested almost wordlessly. He wanted to make sure that smoke was from a friendly and not a foe.

Ray was already on it. He and Ryan had become a lot closer over the time they had been traveling. Now that Geoff and Jack had joined them it was a lot easier for him to take less responsibility around camp and get to know Ryan better and build stronger trust. "If I'm not back in twenty minutes come look for me," he said, flying up in his owl form and diving towards the smoke. What he saw definitely surprised him.

In a ditch off to the side of the road, there was a trembling figure, blood smears and drag marks stretching out behind it, like the poor creature had tried to crawl to safety, but had given up. Little puffs of smoke occasionally rose from the creature, followed by a bout of heavy coughing.

Ray perched at the edge and shifted to his cat form, meowing out to the creature. "Hey...hey, you friendly? Are you alright?"

A growl emitted from the creature, wings unfurling. One of them was torn, preventing the creature from flight. His eyes glowed in a swirl of different colors. He appeared to be taking on the defensive, backing up a little bit from Ray.

"Hey, we're cool man, we're cool..." Ray stepped back, looking at the creature. That couldn't be what he thought it was... He stumbled back a little too quickly.

The dragon saw the weakness and the instability and smiled, back claws making purchase on the ground as he lunged. He tucked his useless wings tight against himself as he ran after Ray. The shifter was his first possible meal in over a week. He closed in on Ray, teeth shining menacingly.

Ray shrieked and ran for it, whipping around on his feet. He didn't even have the sense to fly away, he just ran as fast as he could. He looked for an out, anything, absolutely anything. He saw a rabbit hole and his mind took the leap for him, shifting and diving right into the hole.

The dragon slammed against the rabbit hole, crying out in pain. Adrenaline pumped through him and his front claws began to dig and scratch feverishly at the hole. The young man tried to blow fire down the hole, but his premature flintsack had been injured. He sputtered a couple of sparks and a bit of smoke down the hole before coughing and sputtering, pain burning in his throat and lungs.

Ray was burrowing deeper into the hole, scurrying along, until he found a second exit far away from the dragon. He finally found the sense to shift to his owl form, too scared to realize he'd just wasted his final form on becoming a rabbit. He flew back to the group and shrieked the only thing on his mind, "Dragon!"

"Haha, very funny, Ray." Jack mumbled, exhausted from trekking all day. He figured the shifter had just startled himself, as had occasionally happened in the past.

Ryan was the only one who didn't completely reject the idea, though he was still quite skeptical. "A dragon? Here?"

"Dragon!" Was all Ray continued to squawk, pointing towards where he'd come from. "He tried to eat me!"

"Dragons are dangerous, we should just keep moving," Geoff said, looking wary about the idea.

Ryan picked Ray up, petting him as the shifter shivered and shook in his arms, clearly quite upset. "Let's go check it out."

"Are you sure we should be messing with a dragon?" Geoff didn't like the sound of that. "We don't even know if there really _is_ a dragon... They never come down this close to sea level." Dragons were strictly mountain creatures. One so far down was dangerous. Or injured.

"He looked hurt," Ray said, slowly starting to come down from the adrenaline.

"Well…we'll soon find out." Ryan charged up, preparing to restrain the dragon, should it come to it. Jack withdrew his bow, pulling an arrow from his quiver should he need to fire. They were prepared for the worst, but what they found was a barely conscious dragon that was bleeding to death in a bed of snow beside the rabbit hole Ray had dived through.

The dragon's chest was rising and falling in shallow motions, barely showing. Ray twitched and shifted onto Ryan's shoulder. The dragon was definitely injured. He wondered if his actions had been caused by nothing but pain and hunger.

Jack kept his bow trained at the dragon's head as Ryan hurried down beside it. Ryan looked over the young man. "He's about your age, Ray. Though he probably won't see another birthday if we leave him here." He picked Ray up of his shoulders and set him down, pushing him out of the way a bit. "I need you out of the way. All of you." This wouldn't be easy, nor would it be pretty. He'd never healed wounds this bad before.

The dragon opened his eyes and shrieked, torn wings splaying out as he thrashed with Ryan so close to him. He roared and sang in pain, attempting to drag himself away from Ryan.

"Hey, hey! You need to stop struggling; you're going to _die_ if you don't stop!" Ryan's hands glowed, and he lunged. He took Michael's face between his hands and slowly started to try to calm him down, muttering chants beneath his breath.

The dragon still wasn't convinced. He let out a blood curdling shriek that could cap the mountains. Ray covered his ears, but refused to leave Ryan's side.

Ryan increased the power of his sedative magic. His eyes glowed bright blue as he fought with the intense magic within the dragon. "You're gonna have to trust me here. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to help you."

The dragon was slowly subdued, body twitching with adrenaline and tentative power. The poor dragon was trying to run, but Ryan's magic held him there, sluggish and unable to move

"Ray, I need you to get back, there could be magical discharge, and I don't want anyone getting hurt." There was a chance Michael's body would reject his magic and…well, Ryan didn't want to think about that too much.

Ray hopped off and promptly found a seat with Jack. The dragon was starting to breathe faster and his wings were twitching and smoke kept streaming from his nose, only for him to tremble and shake with the coughs in his chest.

"Easy now." Ryan took a deep breath and started to work. There were moments where the magic looked like it would backfire, but the healing continued on with few hitches. By the time he was finished, Ryan was exhausted. He fell back onto his elbows, breathing heavily. "There… Now…was that…so hard…"

The dragon was still heaving, still not moving out of shock. He scrabbled back, shifting away from the group and growling at them. He eyed Ray, recognizing his almost-meal.

Ryan was helped to his feet by Jack. He held out a hand, looking the dragon dead in the eye. "Can you speak? Do you know how to speak?" Hopefully this wasn't a feral dragon they were dealing with, then they'd be in some serious trouble.

The dragon took a step back, staring at Ryan with cold eyes. He slowly put up his hand, pinching his fingers together. "Little."

Ryan cracked a small smile of relief before asking more questions. "Where are you from? Are there more of you?"

The dragon looked up towards the mountain. "No more."

It wasn't surprising, but that didn't make it any less sad. "How do you feel? Does it hurt anywhere?"

The dragon cocked his head, slowly processing the words he rubbed his head and pointed to his temple and nodded. He then pointed to the wing that was mostly healed.

Ryan looked back at the others in the group who were all clearly not keen on bringing the dragon with them. He turned back towards the young man. "You have a name?"

"In...your words...Michael." The dragon sat back and pulled his knees up, wings closing around himself. He leered over each and every other member, as if examining them. He was especially not too keen on Jack- mostly just because of his size and dangerous looking hooves.

"Hi Michael, I'm Ryan… You hungry?" He felt Jack flick him in the ear with his tail, a clear sign of disapproval. "Look, you don't have to stay, but if you're going to be hunting my friend here as the alternative, I'm more than happy to feed you."

Michael shifted and looked like he might make a run for it, but slowly relaxed and instead folded his legs and nodded to Ryan.

Ray didn't seem too happy with it and Geoff wasn't going to stay quiet. He grabbed Ryan by the shoulder. "Do you know what you're doing? Dragons are dangerous."

"I know that. Everyone knows that. And I'd rather it see us as friends than enemies. Think about it: sure it's one more mouth, but we'd also have a dragon on our side. Well…provided he isn't crazy." Ryan was always one to go for things, regardless of their potential backfire. "I remember not too long ago there were doubts about you joining up, but I think that all turned out for the better."

"This is different. Have you ever met a dragon? They're inconsolable." Geoff took another look at Michael. "And he speaks some English, he's not very old. That means there's more to this story."

"I've seen two. You know, bound up in chains and drained of every ounce of magic in their bodies until they're nothing but shallow husks. Interesting to talk to when you could get two words out of them, though."

"Ryan, for the love of god, you're gonna get us all killed." Jack piped up, irritated by Ryan's lack of caution. "What if he eats Ray. What then?"

"He already tried it once!" Ray piped up, looking over from Jack's back. "He cost me my final form!" He had been saving that for something amazing and cool. Not for a goddamn rabbit.

Geoff glanced at the dragon. "My vote is he can stay for a day or two. Get his strength back. After that... Well, I think it's up to him."

"Thanks for siding with me Geoff." It was important for people to trust one another in these trying times. "Come on, Michael. It's cold and we all could use a bite. Let's eat."

Jack helped Ryan up onto his back, as the magic man was still a bit too fatigued to make the trek down the gorge.

Michael was slow to rise to his feet and lagged behind the others. He was wary and didn't want to stay too close.

Geoff was having the opposite reaction. He went invisible and made sure to keep Michael in sight at all times. Maybe not trustworthy, but he wasn't taking chances.

Ryan could feel Ray still quaking in his arms. He brought his cloak up and wrapped Ray in it. "It'll be fine." He waved his hand, enveloping their little group with a fog of warmth. Anything to keep his friends from freezing.

Geoff and Michael came closer so that they were both in the fog, Michael slowly sidling up to where Jack was, looking up at him with curiosity. "Burden beast is also catcher?"

Jack startled a little bit, his hooves dancing around the rough landscape as he worked to keep steady. He had been focused on the walk ahead that he hadn't noticed the dragon slithering up beside him. "Motherfucker…" He brushed some snow from his beard, "First of all, I'm a centaur. Secondly, none of us are catchers. We're all of magical origin."

"I don't think he speaks enough English to really differentiate, Jack," Ray meowed from behind. He looked over at Michael, who stared back with a disdainful look on his face.

"I can hear. Not speak well, but know well. Motherfucker." That was certainly a surprise.

Ryan snorted a chuckle. Never underestimate feral creatures. They were dangerous, not stupid. "Well, well, look at that, Jack, you taught him a new word."

"God help us all," Geoff muttered as the group headed back to camp. What a picture they must make.

\--

Griffon looked between the members of the group, transfixed by their stories. "So…friends have come from enemies?" Her tail twitched as she took this new information in. "Even though there was little, you share. You trust."

"I wouldn't say we were every really _enemies_ , except for..." Ray glanced over at Gavin. He still didn't have much to say on Gavin's behalf. "But now that you're here that's another person to help with the load." Another mouth to feed, but Griffon seemed to fend for herself. No complaints there.

"I will protect." She nodded to herself, ears swiveling as she kept constant vigilance. She was more concerned about protecting the young shifter than anyone else, if she was honest.

"What about all those other shifters?" Ray asked, wondering how Griffon had ended up in their company, and better yet how she had seemed to be the unspoken leader. "How'd you end up so knit together like that?"

Griffon tilted her head, trying to figure out how to say it in a way they would understand. "When you are alone, you find others that are also. Together, you live. We were not close, but we needed each other."

Ray nodded and glanced over their ragtag group. "Yeah, that's kind of like us here."

The group had been through so much together; a rare exception to the rule of survival. They weren't out for themselves, or staying together out of convenience. They were a family, now all they needed was a home.


	13. Homeward Bound

"We need to settle down somewhere," Michael said as he landed, looking over everyone. "We can't stay on the road. Ryan needs some place to rest, without risk of being caught."

"Agreed. I say we find some woods. Better cover, better place to find food, and we can hope there'll be a supply of fresh water around." Jack wanted to get a garden started again. It was getting harder to find food up in the mountains.

"We'll get down from these mountains, we'll find some lumber." Michael nodded and looked to Jack. "Jack, you and me, we can haul lumber and we can build like, a cabin or some shit. That sounds good right? A nice cabin in the woods. Sounds fuckin sweet to me."

"Hey man, I can help too. I can lift with the boys." Lindsay flexed her arms, puffing up her cheeks a bit.

"Well, we can use all the help we can get." Jack looked back at Ryan, "Until you're up and about you won't be able to help out much."

Ryan frowned, looking at his hands, "I'm afraid that might be longer than we originally thought."

"What?" Ray peered back at his companion, falling back in the group to walk beside him. "Is something else wrong?"

"My magic channels got all fucked up at the compound and they're not healing right. I can't cast spells like I normally do." The amount of time and magic it went into the recuperation of a mage could take weeks, and Ryan wasn't sure Lindsay was ready to handle that level of healing.

Ray went quiet and sent a look to Lindsay, and then to Michael. "Jack," he said quietly, "Maybe we should find some place to camp for the day."

Geoff appeared beside Ray, hand on his shoulder. "We need to keep moving, Ray. Ryan will be alright for now."

"Sorry, Ray, we've gotta keep moving. We can't waste daylight while we've got it." Jack could understand that the young shifter was worried, but it wouldn't solve anything to stop now

"I'll be alright Ray." Ryan held out his arms, inviting Ray to cuddle up with him. Even if his magic was weak, that didn't mean their bond had to be.

Ray shifted to his bun form and hopped right into Ryan's arms. He made himself comfortable, little foot thumping in Ryan's lap.

Geoff looked at the two and put a hand on Jack's back, where the skin of his human half touched the skin of his horse half. "Do you want to walk through the night?"

Jack thought for a moment, "I'm tired as hell. We all are, but we need to keep moving. I'll stop when my legs decide to quit on me." He looked back at Michael, Lindsay, and Griffon. They had grown quiet and were plodding along, staring at the ground. "Though, maybe we should stop… What do you think, Geoff?"

"I think we should go until we can't go anymore," Geoff replied, looking back at the little gang. Lindsay and Michael were walking together, side by side, Griffon and Gavin having a quiet conversation. Geoff looked back to his friend. "We need to get them all out of here. They deserve better."

Jack nodded, not saying another word about it. He was worried about Ryan, however. The man had managed to walk this far, but he wasn't sure he could handle it much more. The mage didn't betray his weakness, instead just continuing to walk along with them with Ray held tight in his arms.

"If Ryan starts lagging do you think you could carry him further?" Geoff whispered, looking over at the mage and his familiar. He didn't want to raise too much attention to their discussions. Better they kept it to themselves for now.

"I dunno, he's been pretty stubborn about walking. Maybe you can get Ray to convince him." Jack reached back and shifted the gear strapped to his back, "He'll probably listen to him."

Geoff sent another look back at the group. He sighed. "If Ryan needs to stop, I want to keep going. He's injured, and he shouldn't be walking too far, he's going to need more breaks than usual. I want to keep going. We need to outpace those guards."

"Alright, let's break for a second, redistribute supplies, and get Ryan on my back. Have Michael or Ray run quick surveillance." Jack began to slow, the rest of the group following suit.

"I don't think Ray wants to leave Ryan for now." Geoff nodded and steered them to the side of the path. "Hey, you guys, we're gonna break for a bit. No more than ten minutes. Everyone switch packs, shake it up, stretch out." He glanced to Ryan. "Ryan, we want you to ride with Jack. We need to pick up the pace."

Ryan furrowed his brow, "Sorry…" he trailed off, feeling guilty for slowing them down and for being more or less useless.

"It's alright, man. Everyone drink some water before we head out again." Jack advised, taking a swig himself.

"You just need some help," Geoff assured him, "Nothing wrong with that. Until you're feeling right again it's okay to need help." He glanced over the group and awkwardly made his way to stand beside Griffon. "Um. Hi. You doing...alright?"

Griffon looked up at Geoff and nodded, "Yes! Am okay. Only a little tired." Griffon expressed before pulling herself more upright, giving Geoff a confident smile. "And you?"

"Uh-" Geoff looked down at his arms. Still visible. He was doing good. "Alright. Tired. Been on the run a while." He looked over the group and reached into the pack, pulling out the water skins and canteens. He passed his to Griffon. "Here."

Griffon happily took it from Geoff, taking several long gulps, a couple drops running down her chin. She handed the canteen back to Geoff before wiping her mouth, "Thank you, Geoff."

Geoff's hand faded in and out of visibility as he took the canteen back, nodding to her. "Yeah, of course. What's yours is mine- I mean mine is yours!" Geoff flounced back into invisibility to save himself the embarrassment.

Griffon cocked a confused eyebrow and tilted as the man flickered before her. "You're a strange man." She commented, meaning no harm in her words.

"Strange. Right." Geoff slowly phased back into reality, sitting beside her. "I can kind of shift too," he told her, holding out his arms and making the ink dance on his skin.

The shifter's eyes lit up as she watched the tattoos moved across his skin. She reached a hand out slowly, fingers brushing over the shapes. "Beautiful," she said, smile spreading.

Geoff's scaly skin peeked through his glamour, the smooth scales brown and black speckled, before he regained his control and kept a firm human skin on his body. "What do you turn into, besides a giant lion?"

Griffon shrunk down onto all fours, a wolverine puling itself out from under the gear she'd been carrying. She turned to look at Geoff before shifting again into an eagle, flapping her wings and puffing out her feathered chest proudly.

Geoff nodded and couldn't help but be in awe of her choices. Definitely fierce. "Hey, kitten, take note," Geoff laughed as he turned to Ray.

"She's like a badass version of you, Ray." Gavin teased, watching as she shifted back to human. 

"Every form has purpose," she defended. "No matter how small."

"I'm a comfort shifter, not a fighter," Ray huffed, looking up from where he sat in Ryan's lap. He was a companion, not a warrior. Didn't mean he couldn't fight, and he was more clever than he let on. "Besides, I'm cuter than all of you."

"He's got a point." Ryan agreed, scratching just behind Ray's long ears.

"Any cat is cool with me." Lindsay piped. She had always wanted a feline familiar.

"Cats aren't so cool," Michael huffed, stretching out in the dust and rolling over. A good dust bath sounded like a treat to him right then.

"Dude, dragons are like, basically giant scaly cats." Or so Lindsay had heard. Very big, very dangerous cats.

Ray was quite pleased Ryan sided with him and bobbled his head, leg thumping as his ears were stroked.

Ryan chuckled quietly as Ray resisted the urge to binky while being held.

Jack was the only one who couldn't rest easy. He couldn't shake the notion that the scouts were going to catch up to them. He wanted to keep moving, but his group needed to rest.

Michael hopped to his feet and approached Jack, nudging him. "Hey. You holdin' in there? You're carrying a lot of the weight. Literally."

"I'm doin alright. We need to keep moving, though." Jack flexed and stretched his legs and back as best he could. He was fatigued, and would definitely be sore in the morning. "Unless you have another idea on how to get Ryan out of here, I'm the only one that can."

"If I were older I could carry him," Michael huffed, snorting smoke. He crossed his arms and stretched his wings. "I could take off a couple bags from everyone."

"I think everyone's alright baggage wise right now. Can you actually run a sweep? See if anyone wound up following us?" Jack pawed the ground uneasily. He was probably just paranoid.

"You got it." Michael bounded up from the ground to the air and Geoff soon took his place at Jack's side.

"Everyone's got some water and a ten minute rest. I think we should head out." Geoff glanced at the sun. "We should make good time, I don't want to be stuck in the plains at night."

"I will look too." Griffon offered, her arms turning to wings and taking off as she finished her transformation. She circled off in the opposite direction Michael had taken, sharp eyes scanning the horizon.

"I just want everyone safe, Geoff." Jack ran a hand down his beard, trying to let go of the stress.

"We'll get everyone safe. Now, let's load up Ryan and get into the woods," Geoff said, patting Jack's flank and rousing everyone. "With Michael and Griffon in the air we should be able to get a good view of everything up top."

"Man, you'd be so much easier to mount if you had stirrups." Ryan hopped up on Jack's back, the centaur having to crouch to let him on. "That…sounded better in my head."

"And you'd be easier to carry if you weren't so heavy." Jack righted himself, waiting until the group got their bags together.

Michael came circling down not too long after, tumbling into a rolling landing. He popped up onto his feet, joining Jack and Geoff on the ground. "Nothing behind us, I searched pretty thoroughly. I think we might have outran them, for now."

Griffon swooped down silently, flapping her wings as she game down for a gentle landing on Geoff's shoulder, trying not to claw him with her talons. "We are safe. Shall we go?"

Geoff tried not to freeze up and cleared his throat. "Let's go." He wiggled to get comfortable with Griffon on his shoulder and took the front of the group.

Griffon hopped off, taking her portion of the weight. She refused to be carried around, not helping anyone.

Gavin was definitely feeling the exhaustion more than anyone else. His legs were going numb with exhaustion, already past the point of pain.

Michael swept back to the end of the line, nudging Gavin. "Hey, Gav, you doin' alright buddy?" His wing twitched and he was tempted to pull Gavin under his wing. Poor guy looked like he needed a nap.

"I'm so tired, Michael. Is it always like this? How long do we have to keep going? My poor ankles…" He gave a hefty sigh, "Why can't we sleep yet?"

"Gotta get away from the humans," Michael said, shrugging. He bumped Gavin's shoulder with his own. "Sorry, man. You gotta push through. We'll get a great night's rest later."

Gavin wobbled at the nudge, "I'll need a weeks rest, and some new legs."

"It won't be that much farther, Gavin. I can see the tree line in the distance. It's only about two more miles; less than an hour walk if we hoof it." Jack informed.

"Hoof it? That a pun?" Ryan was rewarded with a flick of Jack's tail to the back of his neck.

"I could carry you and get you there in fifteen minutes," Michael said, grinning. His sharp teeth glinted. There was snickering from Geoff, who looked like he was trying to restrain himself from being an enabler.

Ryan didn’t see a problem with that. “You guys could start setting up camp. Maybe get food started for everyone. I say go for it." Just so long as Gavin didn't scream and attract attention.

"Wanna go for a fly?" Michael asked, looking excited. "I can come back for Lindsay and Ray too."

"You wanna go with Lindsay and the lads or stay with us?" Ryan reached over and ruffled Ray's hair. The young man probably needed to stretch his wings.

Ray was a little nervous to leave Ryan, but he shifted to his owl form. "I don't want to leave you, but I could use some air. You'll be alright. Right?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. You be safe too." Ryan watched as as Michael flew off with Gavin, Ray following behind.

Griffon watched as they flew off, her tail slowly waving behind her. She was concerned for the safety of the younger group members, but said nothing.

Geoff glanced over his shoulder and fell back in line with her. "They're good kids. They can take care of themselves. They've got Michael with them. He's one hell of a fighter."

The lioness swiveled her ears, but nodded. "As long as they do nothing stupid, should be safe." She kept walking alongside Geoff, making idle conversation.

Michael dropped Gavin onto his feet a couple feet off the ground at the edge of the tree line. "Here we are. Looks like a great place. I wonder if there's any giant spiders."

Gavin made a noise of anticipated pain as he dropped to the ground, limbs flailing wildly. He righted himself before pulling off the pack and properly lying back on the ground. _"God,_  I'm exhausted. Thanks for the lift, my boi.”

"We've got the others coming in a couple hours, I have to go back and get Lindsay. I'll be back in like, twenty minutes. You and Ray can scope out some place." That said, Michael hopped into the air again and soared off back to the group to get Lindsay.

Gavin sat back up and lazily groped for his pack, pulling it to his side and looking inside. "Better get a fire going." The last thing he wanted to do right then was get up and search for wood, but thankfully they were surrounded by trees so it shouldn't be too difficult.

"We should wait until we're in the forest," Ray said, glancing behind them. "We can't draw attention out in the plains like this. The forest will give us cover. They'll see the smoke out here."

"Alright, we can gather wood while we head in, then." Gavin stood up, picking up his pack and starting to walk again. He picked up any dry wood that he could find, soon having a bundle of wood and kindling.

"Where looks good to camp, Ray?"

Ray shifted to his human form and lead Gavin further into the woods, glancing around. "I don't want to nest next to some monster hive or anything. We should wait until Ryan, Geoff, or Jack are here, they know about that kinda shit."

Gavin pulled his gun out just to be safe, checking the charge capacity left, only half. "Well, if anything attacks before then, I've got it covered."

Ray was nervous around the gun and shifted away from Gavin quietly. "I'm worried about Ryan."

Gavin stuck the gun in his belt before sitting down next to his pile of wood. "Ray," Gavin's tone went a bit softer, "have some faith in your partner, Ray. Ryan's tough! Really tough. He'll be fine."

"It's not that I don't have faith, I just worry about him and his powers. He told me they were doing weird things," Ray growled, squinting at Gavin.

Gavin furrowed his brow, not liking how Ray was looking at him. It was that look of blame again. "Weird things? What you mean?"

"His powers are giving him recoil. They've never done that before." Ray sighed and stared up in the leaves of the trees. "I blame that compound."

Gavin turned his attention back to the ground, frowning as he remembered seeing all those awful things for the first time. "The people there were downright plebs. Absolute mentalists." He cringed, feeling sick to his stomach as he remembered seeing Ryan chained up, foamy spit and blood falling from his mouth, blood trailing down from where the cuffs had been clamped.

"That was the first time I'd ever been inside one. I've never been near one before." Ray looked at Gavin for a moment before going on, "Is yours like that?" He was afraid of the answer.

Gavin frowned, kicking at a stone, "I don't know, Ray. I only went down to the housing once when I was small, and I barely remember it. For gods sakes, I hope not." It made him sick all over again to think how he'd been living happy and comfortable while only thirty feet below him creatures were being tortured.

"Kinda shows how little you knew, hunh?" Ray crossed his arms and watched Gavin move. "When did you start getting involved in the compound?"

"I was born there. Raised there. Barely ever left except to go to different compounds with my dad while Mum stayed behind with my younger siblings. It was too dangerous to go about by ourselves." Gavin kicked at the ground, stirring up small rocks and leaves.

"Good god, there's more of you?" Ray nudged Gavin in a teasing manner and shifted to his owl form to fly up into the trees and inspect the area.

"See anything?" Gavin called from the ground, looking around himself. Though it had already gotten dark, so he couldn't see much.

"Michael should be coming back soon." Ray nodded and tilted his head slightly. He nodded down to Gavin and nodded. "He and Lindsay can help us scope out a place."

"I think here is good. Open enough that we all fit." Gavin wished they trusted him a bit more with some of the executive decisions, but he didn't really have any seniority to do so. "Can you see Jack and them?"

"It's a little close to the edge of the forest." Ray jumped down to the ground into his human form as Michael and Lindsay approached them.

"This place is gonna be fuckin amazing," Michael said as he looked around

"Damn straight. Greenest place I've seen this far from the compounds." She hopped off Michael's back and looked around. "The others are still about a mile off but they said we could start heading deeper into the woods."

"Jack will want us to move pretty far in," Ray said with a solemn nod. Michael nodded along with him and the two lead their companions further into the forest.

They found an area with thick underbrush, surrounding trees all close together. "Well, they'll never find us," Gavin grunted as he freed himself from a patch of thorn brush, "but I doubt Jack's fat arse will fit."

"Don't tell him that, he'll kick your fuckin teeth in." Michael laughed as he slipped through the trees. "We'll get him through here."

Suddenly, an eagle landed on a branch above them, letting out a couple shrieks before fluttering to the ground. Griffon transformed into her human form, still crouched on the ground. "Found you. The others are close."

Michael let out an uncharacteristic shriek when Griffon jumped down in front of them. His scaly ears swiveled and he turned to look behind him.

There was distant rustling and cursing as the three older men worked their way through the dense forrest.

"God _dammit!_  I know I wanted a hideaway deep in the woods, but this is just fuckin ridiculous." Jack cussed as the drape covering his equine half snagged again on some underbrush.

"Don't mind Seabiscuit, his giant horse ass is stuck," Geoff howled with laughter from where he was sitting on his friends back. "Hey boys!"

"Geoff!" Gavin greeted with a wave, excited to see the faerie. 

"Hey guys!" Ryan was walking on his own, pack clutched to his chest as he ducked and weaved through the thick brush.

"Ryan," Ray chirped as he bounded forward to greet his companion. Michael shifted until he could fly up into the trees and look at his friends from above. "We'll have to find a way to get Jack through."

Ryan shifted his pack onto his shoulder so he could pick Ray up, holding his familiar as they walked to join the others. 

"Shut up, Michael, I can fit!" Jack did have to wiggle a bit, but eventually he managed to worm his equine half through, making it into the small clearing. "Told you."

"Yeah right," Michael snorted, "Just barely. Good luck trying to get out, you giant ass." Michael jumped back down and looked around. "We should set up camp here, it looks fantastic."

"Just gotta flatten the ground out a bit. Bloody covered in rocks and branches." Gavin had been scuffing his boot along the ground, kicking the rocks and twigs out of the way as he tried to smooth it out a bit.

"What if we set up a nice vegetable garden?" Geoff asked, hopped off of Jack and wandering around the clearing. "Me and Jack would benefit from that."

"Ahh, that'd be great. Maybe trim back some of the tree canopy so we can get some more sunlight." Jack was excitedly planning this out. "We can hide our shelter in this thicket, and the fire pit can go here."

"Michael can go straight up to go hunting, we can make Lindsay and Ryan their own little hut for experimenting," Geoff said, getting excited with his friend. "This is going to be great."

"Probably a safe difference away so I don't accidentally blow something up." Lindsay extended her fist for a fist bump, which Ryan gladly returned. 

"What should I do?" Gavin asked, eagerly awaiting an assignment.

Geoff turned to see Gavin and shifted awkwardly, wondering if there was anything for Gavin to do. "How about you start drawing out lines for the fire pit?" he offered. "We'll need something for you meat eaters to roast the kills on."

"I'm on it!" Gavin saluted before designating an area for the pit. He hurried off to find rocks to line the pit with.

Ryan cocked an eyebrow at the behavior. "He seems eager. Wasn't he about to pass out like an hour ago?"

"It's all about the energy, Ryan," Geoff said as he crossed his arms. "Gotta start gathering lumber. Jack, how about you and me start knocking down some trees?"

"Sounds good. Once Gavin gets the fire pit set up we can get started on dinner." Jack sorted through their supplies, hoping they'd grabbed the few tools they had.

"If we've still got some veggies left we could roast those too." Geoff took his share of the tools and looked over his shoulder. "Ryan, we're going out to grab lumber. We'll be back."

"Alright," Ryan waved them off, before turning back to his pack, starting to unpack some of their supplies to start on a temporary shelter. 

Lindsay tapped Ray on his feline haunches. "Hey, Ray, can I talk to you for a sec?"

Ray nodded and shifted to his human form, following Lindsay off. "Yeah, what is it?"

"How much do you know about assisting with healing magic?" Lindsay bit her lip, brow furrowing as she posed the question.

"Not very much," Ray said with a tilt of his head. "Why, do you want me to help you? I'm better with helping Ryan and his casting. You know, being _his_ familiar and everything."

"I know, but I wanna try and heal Ryan. I think I can do it if someone helps me channel my magic." The man was clearly in discomfort, so anything she could do to help her friend, she would.

"Well, I can't guarantee anything," Ray meowed as he shifted again and plunked down beside her. "But yeah, I'll try and help you. I don't really know how to help other wizards, though."

"Well, with your and Ryan's bond, maybe you could work like some sort of bridge between us." She practiced focusing the healing magic on the palms of her hands, satisfied with how much more control she felt she had compared to a week ago.

"I think it would make a lot more sense if you _also_  had a familiar," Ray told her, looking at the magic she manifested physically.

"Yeah, but where am I going to find someone out here? Familiars are almost impossible to come by." She glanced in the direction Michael had gone off in before turning back to her magic, feeling it waver before she got it under control again.

"Not really. You could pick any old animal," Ray said, though he didn't blame her for being hesitant. "But I mean, you could also have an actual magical creature, like me, or Michael, maybe you could convince Jack. He might get offended though."

"I dunno, it'd be pretty badass to ride into battle on the back of a dragon." Lindsay picture Michael as a fully grown dragon, a dramatic plume of fire bellowing from his mouth. It was almost comical, given how wheezy and tiny he was now.

"Michael's a long way from being an adult dragon." By the time Michael lost that squishy humanoid form Lindsay would be older and matured. Ray didn't even know where he would be. Preferably still with Ryan.

"Well, he's cute now, so that works for me." She shrugged. It was common knowledge that dragons lived for a ridiculously long time. Lindsay might never see him to his mature adult years.

"Also useless," Ray snorted, laying out in the clearing, enjoying his lazy moment. No one had told him to do anything yet.

"Ray!" Ryan called, ruining Ray's chance to be lazy. "Come help me set this stuff up, would you?" He'd been struggling with the tarps for a little while now. It was really a two man job.

Ray jumped up into his human form and followed after Ryan, helping him lay down the tarps. "Are we going to like, build a house and shit? Like, what Jack had before we burned it down?"

"Something like that. It'll definitely take some time, however. For now, once everyone's done gathering, hunting, and what have you, we'll need a place to sleep." Plus, they didn't need to wake up to getting rained on again.

"Pity, stars are nice to look at when we sleep," Ray mocked, turning his head to see Lindsay again. "Do you think Michael would make a good familiar?"

"He'd be damn powerful, that's for sure. Whoever'd have him as a familiar would reeeally need to know what they're doing. It was hard enough trying to heal him, I can't imagine trying to channel him." Incredibly dangerous too if their magic didn't sync.

"Mhm. Lindsay needs a familiar, and she and Michael seem kind of close already," Ray said as he looked over at Lindsay and Michael who had joined up again.

"It's a bond they have to form. I think they'd be a good match-up, though." Ryan nodded to himself as he put a finishing knot in a tie. "There, finally done. Thanks, Ray."

"No problem, Rye," Ray hummed as he shifted and scampered off to rejoin Lindsay. Michael had joined her, and was boasting about breathing fire again. Ray was tempted to tell Lindsay about the time he got Ryan on fire.

Ryan watched over the group as they all came together, everyone working together to start building a life. After all these years of running, it looked like they'd finally get to settle down for good.


	14. Broken Family

"Me and Jack are going off to find some food," Geoff called to the rest of the group. They were all settled into whatever they were doing that morning and Geoff had noticed their lack of veggies and firewood.

"Hurry back, will you? My knob's gone numb." Gavin was wrapped in a blanket, huddled around the dying fire.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be back in about an hour." Jack slung his satchel over his equine half before slinging his quiver over his shoulder.

Geoff hopped on Jack's back. Being feather light had its perks. "Hey, maybe we'll see a yeti. Maybe it’ll be almost as fat as you."

"Fuck you, asshole, I can still buck you off me." Jack couldn't truly be offended. He knew ruthless teasing was how Geoff showed he cared.

Geoff snorted and stood on Jack's back, hands on his hips. "Lead the way, Seabiscuit!" He laughed, before he jumped down off Jack's back, instead walking beside him.

"Yeah, yeah." Jack laughed alongside Geoff, heading to where the forest was thinner. It would be more likely to find something edible here than anywhere else.

"I'm going to grab some firewood, we could use a couple bundles," Geoff said as he patted Jack's flank. "I'll be just a sec." He veered away from his friend, disappearing into thin air to avoid being noticed by anything lurking in the woods.

Jack pawed at the ground, looking for any possible root vegetables. He was so absorbed in his search, he hadn't noticed he wasn't alone.

There was little to notice, until the net had tangled around Jack, and there was shouting to "contain the beast" as the humans descended on him like insects.

Jack panicked, tripping on the net and falling to the ground. He was desperately kicking out his legs, but only managing to get further ensnared. He couldn't find the way out of the net, and a group of camouflaged scouts was drawing closer.

"Hold on," one of them shouted, coming closer to Jack. They kicked him in the ribs. "It's one of those stupid half horse things." Several of the other scouts converged, murmuring to themselves.

"Please," Jack begged, "please don't kill me." He felt an icy fear in his heart, eyes stinging as tears threatened to pool. This was it; this was the end of his line.

Geoff was watching from the brush, still invisible. There was nothing he could do, besides... He reached down and picked up a rock, throwing it at one scout's head. He stayed quietly, realizing that he had drawn attention to himself.

"Take care of this one," the leader said as he handed another scout his gun, while he and two others went to investigate who had thrown the rock.

"Wai—" There was a silenced shot and Jacks body flopped to the ground. His body twitched a few times as he started to bleed out. Another shot was fired, and Jack's body stopped moving all together. The scouts pulled the net off and left Jack's body where it lay, bleeding and unnaturally twisted.

Geoff watched them shoot his friend, shoulders shaking as he waited for them to disband before he ran to his friend. He stood over him, still invisible, before he laid down beside Jack and curled up against him, feeling the warmth slowly disappear.

After three hours and no word from Geoff or Jack, everyone was starting to get antsy.

"You don't think something's happened, do you?" Lindsay worried, looking off into the direction the pair had gone.

"Geoff wouldn't let something happen," Michael said, wings ruffling on his back as he tried to remain intact. "He and Jack are a team, they're better together than more of us alone."

"Still, we should do a sweep. Griffon, Michael, or Ray, who wants to scope the area?" Ryan looked around the group, taking charge and wanting to make sure everyone remained calm.

Michael nodded and looked to Ray, who had already shifted. "We'll fly up and fan out."

Ryan looked between them and nodded. "Be safe."

"I'm going too." Griffon shifted into a wolverine and took off. She was concerned about Jack, but even more so about Geoff. They had grown exceptionally close over the last year.

With Griffon on the ground they were able to divide and conquer the space. It wasn't long before Michael spotted something and flew down, only to find the sickening scene of Jack's corpse. He stepped back and resisted the urge to vomit, before he turned his head up and shot a fireball into the air to alert the others.

Lindsay had been working on rehabilitating Ryan's magic when they both saw the signal. Their hearts went cold before dropping into their stomachs. Gavin's face was unreadable as his mind sped out of control. The three of them got up and darted through the woods to join up with Michael and the others.

Michael waited until Ray joined him and shifted to his human form, staring at Jack's body. Michael looked over his shoulder, waiting for the others to show up, wondering how this could have happened. When the others came the only thing Michael could say was, "Where's Geoff?"

Griffon approached first, shifting to her human form as well. There was a pang of anguish that spread across her face before it twisted up in anger. "What sort of disgusting animals would do this."

"Humans," Michael mumbled as he looked around. Ray approached Jack afterwards, reaching out to touch Jack's horse half.

"He's cold," Ray said.

Lindsay, Ryan, and Gavin showed up a few minutes later, almost afraid to approach the somber group. Lindsay took one look at the lifeless body and immediately got ill, tears starting to glass over her eyes.

Ryan fell to his knees, horror, anger, and anguish swirling in his head. He couldn't even bring himself to say anything or look anywhere other than the muddy snow under his knees.

Michael ducked over beside his friend, putting an arm around Lindsay and looking over his shoulder at the others. Ray was off to comfort Ryan, putting a hand on his shoulder and shifting down to his cat form, sitting beside his companion. Geoff was still nowhere to be found, and that was worrying.

Gavin couldn't even approach. He felt a sense of shame he hadn't experienced in a long time. He didn't approach Jack's body, and instead ducked back into the woods and made for camp.

"Hey, we should go," Michael told Lindsay quietly. "Let the others have their moment. We can come back."

"Where's Geoff?" Ray said quietly. "He should be here." He was afraid of thinking that Geoff had been taken. "Who's going to tell Geoff?"

"If he hasn't shown up… He was either taken or he already knows." Ryan looked away as he spoke, eyes darting to the ground as he petted Ray. "We can't leave him like this."

"We should bury him," Ray said, staring down at the body. "Under the garden. He would want that."

"Then we leave here. We can't risk staying put." Ryan bent down to close Jack's eyes. "We're going to need everyone to carry him."

Ray was still thinking about Geoff, and where he could be, but nodded and went to catch Lindsay and Michael before they strayed too far. "Griffon," he called up when he had the others in tow. "We could use a hand."

Griffon had been sniffing the air, trying to locate Geoff. She spun around when she was called. She shifted to human and approached the group.

"Where's Gavin? He should be here." She sniffed the air again, but the smell of Jack's blood was too strong.

"We don't have time to get him," Michael said as he took on the harder part, helping to lift Jack's equine half. No matter how strong he was, his muscles strained under his skins and he puffed out a bit of smoke from the effort.

Lindsay gave them all a bit of a magical boost before helping Ray with the human half. 

Griffon and Ryan helped Michael, and together the five of them marched Jack back to their camp, no one saying a word.

Michael felt like a pallbearer. When they slowly set Jack's form down he looked over the garden. "Where should we bury him?"

Ryan looked around the garden, before settling on the vegetable patch. It was hidden beneath snow, but it was there. "Here."

Michael set to digging, using his claws to go quicker than a shovel. The ground was hard packed and he tried to warm it with his breath, to make digging easier for the rest of them. Ray was right next to his friend, shifting to his bun form to dig as efficiently as he could.

Griffon began to dig in her wolverine form while Lindsay and Ryan took up garden tools. They had a big hole to dig, after all.

It was hours of digging before the hole was finally ready. Michael clambered out and stared down at the hole. It was big and could fit someone Jack's size comfortably. "I think it's ready for him." He couldn't say anything for whether or not everyone else was ready.

Ryan went inside and gathered some of Jack's personal affects and some rope to help lower Jack in.

"Anyone want to say anything? Some words to send him off with?"

Michael looked around and quietly spoke up. "Jack was the best person out of all of us. He was better at caring for the garden, he was better at cooking, he was better at making us laugh... And wherever he is, he was Geoff's best friend. What would Geoff say?"

"That Jack was an irreplaceable member of our group. That there's no one quite like him. Probably throw in a Seabiscuit joke." Ryan tried to chuckle, but felt himself choke up instead as he thought back to when he first met Jack. "He will be missed." Ryan had to wipe at his eyes, trying to hide his tears from the others. "Fuck..."

"He'd probably call him fat," Ray said, his voice sounding rather hollow. When he received weird looks he threw up his arms. "What? He would!"

"No one was nice like Jack. We're all kinda assholes, but Jack the least so." Lindsay threw in. She'd always appreciated Jack and his goofy sense of humor and his simultaneous ability to be a tight ass.

"Out of all of us, Jack deserved this the least," Michael said, slowly reaching for the ropes. Jack deserved to be put to rest.

Everyone took the ropes, slowly lowering the centaur into the ground. Lindsay bit her lip as she started to cry. Ryan cast her a look, brow furrowing in empathy.

When Jack was laid to rest Michael tucked Lindsay under a wing, hugging her close as his own eyes watered. He kept it together and looked to Ray, who was turning to Ryan for comfort.

Lindsay let herself be lead off, not wanting to be around the others right then.

Ryan went to sit down, exhausted physically and emotionally. He slowly pet Ray, wrapping them in his cloak. He watched as Griffon lingered beside the filled in hole before her nose turned skyward. She turned and darted off, and Ryan didn't have the energy to question it. He was tired; so incredibly fucking tired.

Ray didn't say anything. He stared at the loose ground, knowing that that was where their friend was. He buried his face into Ryan's lap, thinking about how Jack wasn't with them anymore. There would be no more laughing with him, no more rides on his back, no more cuddling in the winter. Jack was gone.

Ryan took a deep breath, picking Ray up before standing up himself. "We need to pack up, get ready to move on." He looked around the camp, seeing no sign of Geoff, and now Griffon was gone.

"What about Geoff?" Ray said quietly as he looked to the grave. "Should we put something there? It feels wrong to leave it barren."

"I don't want to risk anyone digging it up, hoping they'll find something. We don't have that luxury." Ryan went inside to start packing up, but noticed that all of Gavin's stuff was already gone. He frowned, but didn't say anything about it. "And as for Geoff," he tossed over his shoulder, "I don't know Ray… We can track him down, but we can't waste that time right now."

Ray looked up into the barren trees, wishing that he could plant a chestnut or a pinecone, anything that would mark Jack's grave. "One sec." He disappeared into their home and went looking through Jack's belongings, until he found his gardening tools. He picked up one of the acorns Jack had been keeping for the spring. He looked at Ryan. "We should plant it."

Ryan pulled a smile, "Yeah, we should. Good thinking, Ray." He dropped what he was doing and followed Ray outside to help plant a memento for their friend.

\--

Meanwhile, Griffon was soaring overhead, eagle eyes scanning the ground for any sign of Geoff. She swooped down, transforming to a lion and sniffing the air, following the smell until she came to a log. Stones were levitating before getting launched into the underbrush.

"Geoff?"

There was no answer, before Geoff slowly materialized, fingering the stones and staring down at them. He didn't say anything, just shrugged his shoulders slightly in acknowledgement.

Griffon walked over to him, sitting on her haunches and placing her head in his lap, tail curling up around her feet. "I'm not too good at being a comfort shifter, but I'm here for you. If you need me."

With the invitation given, Geoff turned and wrapped his arms around Griffon, burying his head into her hackles. He said nothing, just heaving out a long breath, hiccuping quietly. There were no tears. He had already cried himself out. When the time was right, he finally mumbled out, "I couldn't do anything."

Griffon slowly shifted to her human form to better embrace Geoff, stroking his back. She nuzzled against his shoulder, letting him feel what he needed to.

Geoff heaved out another sigh and buried his face into her neck, closing his eyes. "I can't go back," he murmured, "I don't think I can face everyone."

"They will miss you." She reminded, "You're grieving, I understand, but these are your friends. Are you sure you want to leave them behind?"

Geoff's shoulders slumped and he shook his head. "I love my friends. More than anything." There was nothing he prided himself more on knowing that he and Ryan and Jack had built their little group up from the ground, being the oldest. "But, I don't know. I feel like there's no place for me there, without Jack."

Griffon looked back in the direction she'd come from, "I don't want you to be alone," she turned back to Geoff, "I'm staying with you."

Geoff was slow to nod and reached to take her hand in his. "Thank you." He felt bad disappearing without so much as a goodbye, but he felt it was best. "We should go." He was slow to rise to his feet, pulling griffon with him. He stopped and turned, hugging her once more. "Thank you. I love you."

Griffon smiled, holding Geoff's face in her hands before kissing him. "I love you too. Don't disappear on me again." She took his hand again and they began walking.They had no idea where they were going or where they were going to wind up, but it didn't matter.

Michael looked over his shoulder where Ryan and Ray were huddled up beside the grave and he turned to Lindsay. He grasped her hand and lead her away, somewhere private, where they didn't have to watch their friends cry. Michael looked up at the canopy of trees, just wanting something to focus on. "Hey," he said quietly, giving Lindsay's hand a squeeze.

"Hey," she returned, dragging her eyes off the ground to look into Michael's. "I think...I think it would be best if we headed out our own way. Ryan's almost healed up, he and Ray would be fine..." It didn't look like Geoff was coming back, and Griffon had run off God knew where.

"What do we do?"

Michael shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. It does feel weird to go back there. I mean..." He glanced back again. "It feels wrong to stay in the place Jack was. It was his home too and now..." And now he was buried there.

"I don't know how to tell Ryan." The young witch couldn't imagine Ryan would be particularly thrilled that they were leaving as well. He wouldn't get mad, but Lindsay didn't want to make him sadder in this hard time.

"Maybe we should just go." Michael's shoulders sagged. "I mean... I owe my life to Ryan, but I think he just needs Ray right now. Worrying about us isn't going to do him any good."

"I want to at least thank him. We owe him that much." Lindsay headed back to the camp area and began to pack.

Michael nodded and ducked into the main house where he found Ryan packing. "Hey... Ryan. Me and Lindsay, we're..." His words died in his throat. "I was just thinking that maybe we shouldn't stay."

Ryan paused in his packing and looked up at the young pair. "Well, our set up here in the woods isn't exactly a practical nesting place for a growing dragon." He managed a weak smile. "You two be safe. Make lives for yourselves. And for fucks sake, whatever you do, don't...don't get caught." He stood up to shake their hands goodbye, but Lindsay brought it in for a crushing hug.

Michael went in for a hug after Lindsay and nodded to Ryan. He puffed up his chest a bit and tried to look big, to mask the melancholy growing in his heart. "Stay safe, Ryan. It's one fuck of a world out there."

"Don't I know it." Ryan clamped a hand on Michael's shoulder, knowing that if he said anything more it would just make it harder to say goodbye. He nodded to the dragon before turning to Lindsay.

"It's thanks to you I don't blow shit up anymore. Unintentionally, anyway. Gonna miss you Ry-bread." She gently punched him in the shoulder, eyes watering.

Michael nodded to Ryan and reached over to tug Lindsay away. He looked to Ryan and his scaly ears swiveled back, like they did whenever he was unhappy. "Tell Ray he's a good friend and I'll miss him."

Ryan waved them off before pulling his hood up over his head and hiding his eyes. He finished packing before using his magic to destroy the house. It was still a little uncomfortable to cast, but with Lindsay's help he'd managed to recuperate enough to get by. He went to the edge of the clearing and called for Ray.

Ray had been burying the acorn, soon scampering back to Ryan with his cat ears laid back. "I buried it," he said, hoping it would grow come spring. Jack would have wanted to grow into something big and strong and part of nature. He took a moment to look around. "The others aren't coming with us, are they?"

Ryan shook his head. "Looks like we're a two man team again." He reached down and picked Ray up, placing him in his hood, just how he'd always liked to sit. "Guess we'll see where the road takes us." Ryan took one last look at Jack's grave before turning and walking away, into the brush.


	15. 10 Years Later

"Yo, Lindsay, I've got a readout on our guys down there," Michael said as he perched against a tree, his large body pressing firm to the branches and using the entire trunk as leverage.

Lindsay was positioned up in the branches of another tree, a glamour hiding her from the patrol of scouts on their rovers. "Want me to take the bitches out?" She looked through her scope, charging up the weapon with her own electric magic.

"I might be able to let off a nice spark," Michael relayed. He had yet to be spotted, and his position of surprise and distract was strong. "Or do you want me to swoop em?"

"Always fun watching you scare the shit out of them." She chuckled, cocking her gun. "I'll keep an eye on 'em in just in case."

"Lock me in," Michael said as he tapped out of the radio and spread his wings. He had grown into a fine specimen. While it cost him visibility, it gained him intimidation. He roared and swooped down, billowing smoke from his mouth. Not anything to catch fire, but enough to scare.

The scouts all scattered, bullets and energy charges starting to fly wildly. Lindsay began to shoot out electrical charges, disabling vehicles from afar. There was a gentle shimmer just behind the other scouts that raised nothing but red flags.

"They're cloaked, one of the hogs is cloaked. Get out of there, now!" Lindsay just hoped Michael could hear her.

"What do you mean cloaked?" Michael swung his wings to backpedal and screeched as he was shot through the wing, torn through the top. He fluttered in the air for a moment before plummeting.

Lindsay felt panic rise up in her chest. She took as many shots as she could, but she was getting emotional and her accuracy was going down.

"Fuck!" She slung the gun over her shoulder and dropped down to the ground, rolling with the impact. Her glamour was gone now, but she had to help Michael. She charged up her magic, attempting to take out as many guards as she could.

Michael screeched as there was a magical net thrown over him, leaving claw marks on the ground and tightening marks on his scales. His legs were twisted and he screeched, shattering the windows of the nearest hog.

Michael's screech brought Lindsay to the ground, her unprotected ears splitting with pain, despite her best efforts to cover them. She felt someone working to restrain her, the cold metal of a collar scraping against her neck and clicking into place.

There was another screech before Michael fell silent, a muzzle was snapped around his snout. The screaming was only muffled. There was a scout nearby calling in on the radio.

"Boss, you'll never guess what we got. I'll tell you this, it's big and scaly and it breathes fire."

Lindsay's ears were ringing and her head was still spinning as she tried to listen to what was being said over the radios.

"A dragon?! …Bring him to Northweat Alpha. To my office. I want him here." The voice on the other end paused, "Are there any others with him?"

"There's a girl witch with it. You want em both?" As he was listening Michael looked towards Lindsay, nodding his head and twitching a wing, a motion of solidarity.

Lindsay nodded, wincing as the gun was harshly ripped from her and her body searched for any other weapons or tools.

"Yeah, bring em both." The transmission ended and the guards loaded up their prizes, having to call for backup in order to transport the bound dragon.

Michael tried not to make it hard for them. He saw all the nasty looking prods and shock devices they carried, and he had no desire to be anywhere near them. He shrieked with pain as he was loaded onto a large truck, strapped down and held tight, wing twisted at an awkward angle.

Lindsay was cuffed and leashed. She was thrown into one of their caged trucks, leash attched to the door before it was shut and locked. The collar around her neck more than enough to cancel out any sort of magical threat.

"Alright, let's get these creatures back to Boss."

"We'll have to house the dragon in section C, the boss can come see it for himself," one of the men said. "Too big. Things probably the size of two hogs put together."

"Yeah, kinda glad this thing's going to Alpha. No way does Delta have the stuff to handle a dragon. Wonder how they'll restrain it." A lady scout commented, glancing over her shoulder at the beast. "I still can't believe we found a _dragon_. Talk about some crazy luck. Gonna get hella commission on this one.”

"Can't beat that. Looks like it's pretty much grown, too. We handled a dragon up in Beta once. Didn't last long. They drained it and then it started getting aggressive, had to put it down. You know these things are born looking like humans?" Another of the scouts laughed and looked back at Michael through the little slot in the truck.

There was more talk of the compounds, until it came into view, and Michael was hefted off the truck bed and hauled onto something they could cart him on.

Lindsay's leash was attached to the cart, a prod to the back reminding her of what would happen if she didn't behave. She scowled at the ground as she walked behind Michael, fear spreading through her and making her heart ache.

Michael's tail twitched and extended just enough to touch Lindsay, giving her a little burst of confidence. They would get out of this. He wasn't about to let them be imprisoned.

Lindsay reached down and gently stroked the tip of his tail, managing to pull her mouth into a small smile, even if her eyes weren't smiling.

"Alright, we'll bring the witch to Boss at least. The dragon will have to go downstairs. Best not to keep them close, lest they start trying to plan something."

When they diverged Michael made a pained noise in the back of his throat, flexing at the bonds that held him. It wasn't long before Michael was taken out of sight and Lindsay was left with the guards.

The witch was brought into a large, expensively furnished office. The man sitting in the large leather chair looked up when the door opened.

"Leave her here. We'll be fine on our own." Gavin waved off the guard, who protested initially, but eventually removed himself. He didn't want to step on the Boss' toes, after all.

It took Lindsay a moment to figure it out but when she did she finally blurted out, "Gavin?"

"Been a while, ey?" Gavin sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. "Rather amazed you two made it this long. Where are the others?"

"We split up... That was a long time ago, Gavin. You just disappeared." Lindsay took a minute to gather herself, and then, "Gavin you have to make sure they don't hurt Michael! They were saying terrible things on the way here..."

"I know what's being said, Lindsay." No one could work in a compound without hearing awful stories about the atrocities committed against magical beings. "But, believe it or not, I've managed to start changing things around here."

"Really?" Lindsay was wary of it, but... "You've gotta help me get Michael out of there. I can't just let him stay there all alone."

Gavin tilted his head side to side, as if he was seriously struggling to come to a decision. "Mmmm… Well, I can't really release you two. New policies in place; can't exactly ignore them. You'll have to stay here, but living conditions here have definitely improved. I'll show you." Gavin got up and headed to the door.

"I don't want to stay here," Lindsay said firmly. "They're going to _torture_  Michael," she stressed, fists balling up. "He's you friend Gavin!"

"Why do you think I've worked so hard to get things where they are? I knew I couldn't save my friends if they got caught, but the least I can do it make sure they don't face torture." Gavin argued as he lead Lindsay downstairs to the living quarters for magical creatures. They were far improved compared to how they were when Gavin's father was in charge.

"They're going to bleed Michael dry," Lindsay pleaded, "You _know_ that! He's like a nuclear powerhouse!" Lindsay touched the collar around her neck. Still with the medieval torture devices. "They can't collar Michael, either, it'll _kill_ him, Gavin!"

"After what happened when those bleedin Northwest Beta pricks lost their bloody dragon was when I made sure creature handling was changed to something more humane." While all confined to the specific floor, there was more free roaming space for the cognizant magical beings.

"At night they get hooked up to our machines. During the day they can do most anything they want."

"Define humane," Lindsay challenged, gritting her teeth. "And I want to stay with him. You can't keep me away from my familiar."

"Meaning,” Gavin continued as if he hadn’t heard her, “what happened to Ryan won't happen again. They get routine health checks, which have dropped annual casualties by forty-two percent over the last ten years. That's huge!" That number didn't count for creature suicide of course, but things had definitely improved. "And I can't just throw a dragon and a witch in together. Not only would that put you in danger, but I'd risk my position if I showed favoritism." He grasped her by the shoulders, looking her in the eye. "I'm doing good here, Lindsay. I can't throw that away and have things go back to the way they were."

"You're still imprisoning people. You're imprisoning people who have families and friends and freedom," Lindsay exclaimed, her face going red. "I know these things take time, Gavin. But you of all people should know better."

"What, and just let you get shot down like Jack was?" He whispered angrily, "if keeping my friends here means not having cleanup throw your dead body on the back of a truck and—" he realized he was saying too much at that point. "I'm sorry, Lindsay, but you're staying here. I'm going to go check on Michael." As a final act of sympathy he lowered the setting of her collar. "Don't make me regret this."

Lindsay didn't like the sympathy she was getting, but she said nothing as she was lead away by guards at the door.

Michael had been thrown into a cage labeled "quarantine" with his wings strapped down against his body with hexed bindings. He skulked around the cage, leering around and looking into other cages where there were sick or dying creatures, or injured like himself. He was unsure if this was a holding cell or if he was actually under quarantine.

Gavin appeared in front of his unit, a healer Mage in tow. His friend looked so different after all these years. Scarier, definitely. "Report says your wing was torn."

There was a moment of static where Michael was surprised to see Gavin. When he finally registered he bounded up to the bars, placing his talons around the metal and churning a noise in the back of his throat. "Gavin! Dude, man, you've gotta get me out of here!"

Gavin held onto the bars, looking at Michael with a complicated expression. "I can't do that, Michael."

Michael recoiled back, looking rather surprised. He had automatically assumed that the only reason his human friend would be there would be to free him from this awful imprisonment.

Gavin was hurt by the reaction, though it didn't clearly show. "I'm the director, Michael. I've been working to better the lives of magical creatures." He tried to soften the blow a little bit, but it didn't seem to assuage the dragon.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? If you were going to better my fucking life you would let me the fuck go." Michael's cheeks puffed up and his throat glowed with the threat of fire. "I didn't fucking not see you for ten years just to be _imprisoned_ by you!"

"It's safer here than anywhere else." Gavin pressed. The mage standing awkwardly behind Gavin looked conflicted, preparing to put a protective shield up should it come to violence.

"Creatures are going extinct, Michael. Centaurs already no longer exist, and I'm not adding dragons to that list. I can't let harm come to you or Lindsay or anyone else."

"Yeah and who's fault is it that centaurs are extinct?" Michael snapped quickly, baring his teeth. He spared a glance at the healer. "I don't want them to heal me. I want Lindsay."

Gavin was about to get mad for a moment, but he kept his lid on. "I'll see what I can do. It's not a dictatorship here, Michael. I have to follow rules the same as anyone." No matter how much of a pain in the ass they were.

"If anyone is gonna heal me its gonna be my goddamn wife," Michael snorted, blowing smoke from his snout.

"Congrats on the wedding. Wish I could've been there." And he genuinely did. After seeing Jack sprawled on the ground, knowing humans had done that, he had to go back. He had to change things.

"What happened to everyone? Are they all still alive?"

Michael shook his head. "We all split up after Jack. Me and Lindsay met up with Geoff and Griffon once, after a couple years, but that's all we know. It was brief. Ray and Ryan are probably together still, but we don't know where." Michael became wary as soon as he said it and he shifted on his scaly feet, ear fins laying back. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious if everyone had stayed together. Sad to hear you all split up." Gavin fidgeted with his fingers as he tried to think of something to say.

"Yeah, well... Without Jack it just didn't feel right." Michael shook his head again and his ears perked up again. "Can I see Lindsay? Please? It's hard to be away from her. You know. The whole familiar thing."

"I'll see what I can do, Michael." And with that, Gavin turned and headed towards the exit, hat brim pulled down to hide his eyes.

Lindsay had been taken to a room with moderate accommodations. It had a bed and a private little room with a toilet and a shower. The only lock on the door was an automated one that the guards controlled, but oh well. It was definitely better than the horror stories of cages Ryan had told her, but it was still a prison.

A guard came in and attached an ID tag to her collar, marking her as a witch and a healer. An additional tag was clipped on, distinguishing that she also possessed a familiar on the grounds. It was a far better system than the tattoos and the brands once used, but dehumanizing all the same. 

"First day of work, girlie. Your familiar needs healing, and apparently other mages' magic is inadequate on a dragon."

Lindsay didn't care for being called girlie, but she sucked it up and let herself be lead through the halls and corridors until she was taken to the quarantine. She was heartbroken to see all these creatures locked up, and took a deep breath when she saw Michael, who wasn't particularly hard to find. He was easily the biggest creature there. "Michael!"

Michael perked up and jumped to his feet, a guttural growl of delight escaping him.

Lindsay was let into the enclosure, taking Michael's face between her hands and comforting her familiar a moment before examining him. She undid the hexes on his bindings before freeing his wings.

"Oh, baby..." The tear was already starting to try and heal itself, but the gash was long and nasty, and without healing assistance Michael would undoubtedly be unable to fly again.

Michael took the moment to flex his wings and growled at the pain it caused him. He stretched out his wing for Lindsay to get to work, curling his neck around to rest against her, finding comfort in the touch. He snuffled out a noise before he stretched out his other wing. "Look, babe, now I'll match," he teased, pointing to the scar from so long ago.

"Hell yeah, like an upgrade in the badass department. Plus, I've always thought battle scars were sexy, so bonus for me." She placed her hands over the wound, focusing as she began to heal him.

"This might hurt a bit."

"I know the drill." Michael barely remembered the last time he had to have serious healing, but he knew it hurt like a bitch. He took a deep breath before Lindsay started and released only a breathless whine as his body trembled, the healing process sped up significantly.

When Lindsay was done there wasn't even a scar. His wing looked as it did before the accident and the witch huffed with pride. "I always was better at healing than Ryan," she couldn't help but boast. "Sorry to ruin the symmetry, babe."

"It's all good." Michael slowly moved to his feet and stretched out his wings with a growl. It didn't take long for the guards to march in and wrap up his wings again in hexed bindings, telling Lindsay they were transporting the dragon now that he was healed.

"He'll be moved to a special enclosure, to emulate his natural habitat," the guard told her, muzzling Michael.

"And where is that, exactly? Where are you taking him?" Lindsay tried to keep calm on the outside, but she was panicking internally. She tried to follow after them, but a guard grabbed her arm and started dragging her in the opposite direction. She turned to protest, but saw he had a prod in his hand, and thought better of it.

"If you're good you can see your pet dragon whenever you want during roaming hours, just put in a request to be moved," one of the guards sighed, calling for a cart to load Michael onto. "The dragon is being taken to a special enclosure because of his size." The guard then turned away, having said all he cared to say to Lindsay.

\--

A couple of weeks later, Lindsay was making her rounds with the other healers, fixing up guards and scouts that had been injured in the line of duty as well as ensuring peak health of all the other creatures in the compound.

It seemed like any other day of what the witch was afraid would be the rest of her life. However, as night approached, all the humans in the compound started hurrying and bustling about, equipping themselves with combat armor and weapons.

"The hell is happening...?" She asked a fellow healer, but he didn't seem to know either.

There were a few shouts about capturing a "rogue", but that could mean anything from a creature terrorizing the compound from the outside to one of the more dangerous creatures finally breaking loose and going berserk.

"Everyone back in their rooms!" A couple guards began to usher the free-roamers back to their wing and flipped the switch, locking the automatic doors.

"Well, this isn't good." Lindsay looked out her small window, trying to see anything to give her a clue about what was going on.

She frowned and crossed her arms, realizing there was no way she could see the goings on. She would bide her time for now, but this seemed like the ultimate chance to escape. Being a healer, her collar allowed her a lot more wiggle room for magic use, and was usually only used manually to shock her. She turned her head to the locked doors, in the direction she knew Michael was. She hoped he was okay.

Suddenly, the sound of the automated locks all coming undone echoed through the wing. Lindsay stepped away from the door as it swung open, and a familiar voice echoed through the halls.

"Everyone! If you want your freedom, you'd better run now!"

Lindsay had to hold herself from being delighted before she made an immediate run for where Michael was, letting her bond with the dragon lead her down the halls, where there were all sorts of creatures being let out of their cages and enclosures. "Michael!" She called as she made it to his enclosure, still completely locked up. Michael was behind the bars pacing, occasionally batting at the lock.

The entire compound was in chaos. Guards were hurrying to round up magical creatures, some getting caught but others—mostly those that could fly—managing to get past the high walls.

Lindsay focused her magic, the collar still deactivated from work, and busted the lock. She rushed in to briefly embrace her familiar before hurrying out with him.

Michael swept Lindsay up into his arms and tossed her onto his wings that were broken free from the braces, and finally swept through the corridors. Michael burst through the doors with a plume of fire in great dramatic fashion, with a glorious roar.

The guards startled turning to face the dragon, aiming their weapons. A few guards exclaimed as an invisible force started ripping weapons out of their hands, and sending them flying. The compound was in true chaos, and now a dragon was free.

Michael sought to wreak as much havoc as possible before running off, out of their range. Lindsay tore off her collar and cheered, steering Michael with her magic to help him avoid bullets and other dangers approaching.

In the middle of the chaos, a figure stood proudly, an owl swooping down to light on his shoulder.

The man spread his arms, "You know, I always did enjoy a good dramatic entrance."

"Ryan!" Lindsay shouted as she lead Michael down, until the dragon was rolling and tumbling, taking Ryan and his familiar with him in a roll.

Ryan grunted as he was caught up in the enthusiastic greeting. "You've definitely gotten bigger, Michael." He patted the dragon on the snout before pulling away.

"Forgetting someone?" Griffon swooped down and landed on Michael's shoulder, Geoff appearing on his other.

"Oh, y’know. Just grew up. Into a giant beast. No big deal," Michael said as he sized himself up, rather proud. He made a noise as Geoff appeared on his back.

While everyone was catching up briefly Lindsay had to corral them up and over to somewhere safer.

"Well," Ryan looked around the room they had fled into. "We're safe for the time being, but we're also cornered. Anyone got any ideas?"

"I picked up this pretty neat trick." Lindsay cleared her throat and cracked her knuckles. "Wanna help me out, babe?"

It was only a moment before Michael was helping to channel Lindsay's energy as she powered her spell into a space right in front of them. She was ripping shreds through the air, and a thick opening appeared. "In, in, in!"

"Holy shit, Lindsay..." Ryan marveled at just how far she'd come as a witch, and how far Michael had come as a familiar. He picked up Ray, making sure everyone was inside the rift before running to leap through himself.

"Ryan!" Suddenly a hand gripped him by his cloak, and Ryan turned just in time to pull away and see Gavin, hand outstretched before the compound disappeared and the rift closed.

Lindsay closed the rift before they could push Gavin back through, forced to shut it tight. She whistled when she saw Gavin, eyebrows raised. "Everyone okay?"

Gavin practically looked green with motion sickness, and he stepped away from the others to vomit.

"Where are we?" Ryan looked around, squinting his eyes as he tried to gather his surroundings.

"No idea," Lindsay said, shrugging. "But we're safe!"

"I'm going to go scout," Ray told Ryan as he pumped his wings and took flight.

"We'll go too." Griffin offered, her and Geoff heading off to scan the area.

Gavin looked up at the remaining three. They could rip him apart before he could blink, and he'd be powerless to stop it. They didn't look like they wanted to kill him, but Lindsay and Michael didn't look none too thrilled.

Michael and Lindsay exchanged a look, Michael snuffling quietly as he turned his head. "I don't expect you to understand, Gavin, but... You had a choice to help us, and you imprisoned us."

"I don't expect you to understand either, Michael. I didn't want to see you killed. I did what I did to keep you safe." Gavin quipped, turning to leave.

"You know, Gavin, you always have a choice." Ryan folded his arms, standing halfway between Michael and Gavin. "It's up to you which side of that wall you're on."

Michael and Lindsay flanked Ryan, though they looked more like they were peering around him than anything else. They looked at each other, and then looked at Gavin. Michael flattened his ear fins and made a noise in his throat. "You could always come with us, Gavin."

"Got a few more break-ins planned, you know," Ryan grinned. "Gonna free those magical beings and try to restore natural order. We could use an insider, Gavin. Plus, it'd be nice to have our goofy human back."

Gavin looked back at the creatures, his friends, brow furrowed as he thought about what to do. He was needed back at the compound, to ensure that everything ran smoothly and continued to improve, but didn't his friends also need him? He knew that once he made his decision he could never go back on it. It was now or never.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's done! Hope y'all enjoyed it. We'll leave it to you to speculate Gavin's choice. 
> 
> Thank you everyone for reading, kudos, commenting, and bookmarking. You guys are awesome <3


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